The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for an end to the recruitment and use of children by armed groups in north-east Nigeria.
This is contained in a statement by Phuong T. Nguyen, UNICEF Chief Field Officer in Maiduguri.
The UNICEF called for the release of all children in custody and support for former child soldiers in North East.
It added that from 2009, more than 8,000 girls and boys have been recruited and used as child soldiers in different roles by armed groups.
It also said that for 13 years, armed conflict in north-east Nigeria has claimed thousands of lives and disrupted livelihoods and access to essential services for children and their families with about one million homes and 5,000 classrooms razed in the protracted armed conflict.
“We call for an immediate end to the recruitment and use of innocent children as soldiers or for any other conflict-related role.
“It is unacceptable and unconscionable that girls and boys continue to serve on the frontlines of a conflict they did not start, ” the UNICEF said.
The UN agency called on the Nigerian authorities to sign the Handover Protocol for children encountered in the course of armed conflict in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin Region, which would end the detention of children formerly associated with armed groups.
It explained that the protocol would ensure children encountered during military and security operations were transferred from military custody to civilian child protection actors to support their reintegration into society through the provision of family tracing and reunification services and medical, educational and psychosocial recovery services, as well as life skills, support training.
While commending Borno government for the recent signing of the state Child Protection Act, it reiterated the commitment of UNICEF to ensure that Nigerian children do not suffer the impacts of conflicts.
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