According to UNICEF, there have been over 2,400 documented cases of severe breaches impacting 6,800 children in northeast Nigeria since 2014.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has termed as a “horror” 96 of the 276 Chibok girls taken by Boko Haram insurgents from their dormitory in Northeast Nigeria and still held captive after nine years.
The “Chibok girls” were kidnapped on the night of April 14, 2014, eliciting widespread anger and alarm.
The UN Children’s Fund said in a statement on Friday that fighting in that portion of Nigeria has continued to harm girls and boys.
However, hundreds of girls and boys have been vulnerable to severe abuses as a result of the region’s continuous war, according to UNICEF, emphasizing the need to safeguard children in Nigeria.
According to the UN, terrorists seized 80 children on April 7 in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, according to local media.
According to Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, the “horror” continues today, with many children being abducted, forced recruited, killed, and maimed.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the agony of Nigeria’s children.” “We must do all in our power to ensure that kids grow up in safety, with access to education, and the opportunity to reach their full potential,” he added.
According to UNICEF, there have been over 2,400 documented cases of severe breaches impacting 6,800 children in northeast Nigeria since 2014.
The most prevalent include recruitment by armed organizations, abductions, and murdering and maiming.
The violence has had a troubling influence on education, and UNICEF has warned that the consequences would undoubtedly harm future generations.
According to the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria, around 2,295 teachers were murdered in assaults between 2009 and 2022, with over 19,000 relocated (TCN).
In addition, due to instability, over 1,500 schools were shuttered, and 910 were demolished.
UNICEF has applauded the government’s ratification of an agency-supported protocol on the handover of children encountered during armed conflict, as well as its pledge to invest more than $314 million in a school safety finance plan.
The transfer protocol, agreed in September, aims to prevent or limit the incarceration of youngsters met by military and security authorities.
Children reportedly affiliated with armed organizations would be delivered to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development within seven days under the deal.
UNICEF urged all parties to the conflict to uphold international humanitarian and human rights legislation, as well as to protect the rights and well-being of children.
