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From Timothy Olanrewaju, Maiduguri
Borno State government and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have appealed to community leaders and citizens to collaborate with them for the prevention of child recruitment into armed groups as foot soldiers.
The state Commissioner of Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo and UNICEF Chief of Borno Field Office, Phuong Nguyen while speaking at the commemoration of the 2024 International Day Against the use of Child Soldiers in Maiiduguri on , said community collaboration is critical to ending the abuse.
The day is generally tagged Red Hand day.
“Communities must play an active role in the prevention of recruitment and use of children by armed groups and a continue call for the efforts to end and prevent grave violations against children in northeast Nigeria,” Zuwaira said.
She disclosed that 2,528 children made up of 1,640 boys and 888 girls, arrested by the security agencies for alleged link with insurgents group in the wake of the violence in northeast, were released and reintegrated to the society between 2016 and 2023.
UNICEF Chief of Office, Nguyen said the commemoration is a huge event for girls and boys affected by the conflict, amd opportunity for child protection actors to speak with one voice against the recruitment and use of children by armed groups.
“The Red hands day is celebrated annually to commemorate the international Day against the use of child,” she explained.
She recalled that Nigeria’s task force on Monitoring and Reporting (CTFMR) in 2023, verified the recruitment and use of 685 children into armed groups.
“This is against the recruitment and use of 136 child children verified by the CTFM in 2022. The increase cannot be comprehended. It tells us the situation is not getting better,” she lamented.
She said children recruited by non-state armed groups are usually used for planting bombs, digging trenches, pillaging villages, killing enemy forces, or taken as wives to commanders, manning checkpoints, smd as porters.
Nigeria was in 2016 listed among countries with prevalence of child recruitment into armed groups including the state-backed Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). More commitment on the part of the government encouraged the United Nations to delist the country later.
