Maryam Abeeb
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.
This was made known in a statement by the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Mundate in commemoration of the nine years the abduction of the Chibok Girls.
It could be recalled that on April 14, 2014, 276 female students were kidnapped by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram from the Government Girls Secondary School at the town of Chibok in Borno State.
Munduate expressed worries over the increasing reported cases of killings and abduction of children in the region.
Munduate said the statistics are disturbing and the reality devastating.
“It has been 9 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,” she said.
While commending the Government of Nigeria’s signing of the UNICEF-supported handover protocol and its commitment to invest N144.8 billion ($314.5 Million) towards the Safe Schools Financing Plan in 2022 Munduate added that UNICEF stands ready to support the Government in its implementation to ensure that all children encountered in the course of armed conflict in Nigeria or released from armed groups are quickly 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”.
The statement also disclosed that 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 (TRCN) 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,” Munduate said.
