• Says children in North East suffer brutal consequences of conflict
The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) has expressed worry that nine years after 276 schoolgirls were abducted from their dormitory in Chibok, 96 of the girls are still in captivity, while more children in their thousands have been subjected to grave violations of their rights.
UNICEF lamented that since 2014, there have been over 2,400 incidents of grave violations verified, affecting over 6,800 children in the North East, adding that 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 global children body observed that on April 7, 2023, 80 children were reportedly abducted by militants in Tsafe Local Council of Zamfara State, according to local media, stressing that this “reinforces the urgent need for action to protect children in Nigeria.”
In a statement, yesterday, in Abuja, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, observed that the statistics were disturbing and devastating, adding that “we cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of Nigeria’s children..”
She said: “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 must do everything in our power to ensure they grow up in safety, with access to education and the opportunity to fulfill their potential.”
UNICEF stated that the impact of the conflict on education is alarming, with repercussions that will likely affect generations.
According to UNICEF, the Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TCN) reported 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”.
UNICEF commended the Government of Nigeria’s signing of the UNICEF-supported handover protocol and its commitment to invest N144.8b ($314.5m) towards the Safe Schools Financing Plan in 2022 and 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.
It called 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 expressed commitment to work with the government and partners to ensure that every child in Nigeria can enjoy their rights and live in a peaceful and prosperous society.
THEGUARDIAN
