The United Nations Children’s Fund, (UNICEF) has called for an end to all forms of violence and abuse that have reportedly claimed the lives of over 6,800 children in Nigeria’s northeast region.
UNICEF condemned all forms of violence against children and the vulnerable in the volatile northeastern Nigeria in a statement made available to Blueprint Friday April 14, 2023 in Abuja.
In the statement, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, expressed concerns over the upsurge in reported cases of killings and abduction of children in the region.
Munduate said the statistics and the reality are devastating.
“It has been nine years since the horrendous abduction of the Chibok girls, yet the nightmare continues as children are still being kidnapped, forcibly recruited, killed, and injured – their futures torn away.
“We cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of Nigeria’s children. We must do everything in our power to ensure they grow up in safety, with access to education and the opportunity to fulfill their potential,” Mundiate said.
He added that while UNICEF welcomes the government of Nigeria’s signing of its supported handover protocol as well as its commitment to invest N144.8bn ($314.5 Million) towards the Safe Schools Financing Plan in 2022, the government should ensure all children encountered in the course of armed conflict or released from armed group in Nigeria are immediately reunited with their families and benefit from reintegration programmes.
“UNICEF Nigeria calls on all parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and human rights law and protect the rights and well-being of children.
“UNICEF Nigeria stands committed to working with the government and partners to ensure that every child in Nigeria can enjoy their rights and live in a peaceful and prosperous society”.
According to the statement, since 2014, there have been over 2,400 incidents of grave violations verified, affecting over 6,800 children in the northeast.
“The most common violations are recruitment or use of children by armed groups with 700 verified cases, followed by abductions of children, with 693 incidents, and killing and maiming, with 675 incidents.
“The impact of the conflict on education is alarming, with repercussions that will likely affect generations.
“The Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TCN) reports that, between 2009 and 2022, around 2,295 teachers were reportedly killed in attacks, over 19,000 teachers were displaced, more than 1,500 schools closed because of insecurity, and 910 schools were destroyed.”
