Nigeria has been identified among the five countries with the highest rates of child recruitment into armed groups, as the United Nations warns that the global crisis of children in conflict is worsening at an alarming pace.
The UN disclosed the findings in an exclusive interview with UN News ahead of the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers. Vanessa Frazier, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, described the recruitment and use of minors as “one of the gravest and most widespread violations recorded worldwide.”
“In 2024 alone, over 7,400 children were recruited or used by armed forces and armed groups, and those are only the verified cases,” Frazier said, highlighting the scale of the crisis.
According to the UN, the highest levels of violations are currently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Myanmar. Emerging trends also raise concern in Sudan, where children are reportedly used in roles ranging from border guards to active combatants.
Frazier emphasized the human cost behind the statistics. “Each number in our report represents a child whose innocence has been interrupted,” she said.
Over the past three decades, the UN’s mandate on children and armed conflict has facilitated the release of more than 220,000 children from armed groups. The Special Representative’s office negotiates directly with combatants for their release, a rare form of engagement in war zones. Afterward, UNICEF and partner organizations provide psychosocial care, education, and community reintegration.
However, reintegration is often challenged by stigma. Frazier noted that girls returning from conflict, particularly those with children, may face rejection from their communities, compounding their trauma.
In Nigeria, thousands of children have been affected by insurgent violence over the past decade, particularly in the northeast, where abductions and forced recruitment have left long-term scars on families and communities.
