The Kwara State government has shut an unauthorised orphanage in Ilorin, the state capital, and rescued 30 children found there.
Officials of the state Ministry of Social Development yesterday took away the children, comprising boys and girls between the ages of two and 15, from the Iranlowo Oluwa Orphanage and Children’s Home, The PUNCH reported.
The rescued youngsters are now in a government-approved facility where they are likely to be given medical screening and provided with food, education and psychosocial support while authorities examine individual conditions.
The development was contained in a statement signed by the Press Secretary of the Kwara State Ministry of Social Development, Rasheedat Shodunnke, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent in Ilorin.
The ministry said the action was part of the government’s efforts to protect children in care institutions against neglect, abuse and other vulnerabilities.
The Commissioner for Social Development, Mariam Nnfatima Imam, stated that the first task was to identify the particular needs and circumstances of the rescued children.
She added that the government would also look into their origins and start family tracing, and reunification would be pursued when it was deemed safe and acceptable.
“The children are undergoing full medical screening, nutrition support and psycho-social counselling, and the ministry is also preparing for family tracing and reunification, where appropriate,” added Imam.
The commissioner said children who could not be safely returned to their families would be placed in government-approved care facilities when the proper documentation and examinations were completed.
She said that there would be follow-up examinations to make sure the children continued to get the right kind of care for their specific situations.
The government had also stepped up supervision of child-care institutions across the state after closure of the facility, Imam said.
Those running orphanages and children’s homes were directed to apply to government for approval, even as approved establishments were directed to boldly display the inscription, “Approved by the Kwara State Government” on their signposts.
The proposal would allow members of the public to tell the difference between permitted facilities and unapproved dwellings, she said.
“The intervention has shown the importance of collaboration among the agencies and stakeholders involved in child protection,” Hamzat Abdulfatah, the Director of Social Work in the ministry who took part in the rescue operation, stated.
“This intervention has given hope to these children and has motivated us to work together. Now we know that if we do this procedure right and follow due process these kids would have a chance to live better and more satisfied lives,” Abdulfatah said.
The government said the rehabilitation process will continue as efforts are made to identify the youngsters and their family histories and establish appropriate long-term care arrangements.
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