A United Nations report has revealed that Nigeria ranks fourth globally for “grave violations” committed against school-age children during armed conflict.
The UN Secretary-General’s 2024 report on children and armed conflict, published in 2025, confirmed a total of 41,370 verified violations, the highest number in nearly 30 years.
These grave violations encompass abduction, recruitment, sexual violence, killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access.
Nigeria recorded 2,436 such violations in 2024, placing it behind Israel (and the occupied Palestinian territory) with 8,554 cases, the Democratic Republic of the Congo with 4,043, and Somalia with 2,568.
The report highlighted a sharp global increase in attacks on educational infrastructure—a staggering 44 per cent rise between 2022 and 2023—alongside a 20 per cent surge in the use of schools for military purposes. More than 10,000 students and teachers were either killed, abducted, arrested, or otherwise harmed during this period.
“These violations threaten not only individual lives but the future of entire communities,” the report said.
Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, emphasised the devastating impact of these abuses on young lives.
“Children living amid hostilities are being stripped of their childhood. Instead of recognising the special protection afforded to children, governments and armed groups around the world blatantly ignore international law that defines a child as anyone under 18,” she said.
The report noted an alarming increase in the number of children subjected to multiple forms of abuse while also warning of a 35 per cent surge in sexual violence and the widespread use of explosive weapons and landmines in populated areas.
In Nigeria’s specific context, a UN report covering 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2023 recorded 2,519 verified grave violations affecting 1,250 children.
Abduction was especially prevalent, accounting for 1,105 cases—859 of which occurred in 2023; recruitment and use followed with 821 cases, and sexual violence with 439.
The same report noted a decrease in the killing and maiming of children (135 cases), but highlighted escalating threats from improvised explosive devices used by armed groups.
In response, Nigeria endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration in 2018 and formalised a policy on violence-free schools in 2021. The Federal Government also established a National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre to oversee security measures.
However, progress has been limited: as of mid-2025, only about 11,000 schools were reported to be enrolled in the initiative.
Critics cite several obstacles to full implementation, including a lack of public awareness and stakeholder capacity, absence of a domestic legal framework, and an absence of cost implementation plans.
A related statement issued by the UN Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict after reviewing Nigeria’s report expressed profound concern.
The Council is “deeply concerned at the significant increase in the number of violations verified in the reporting period,” and “strongly condemning all violations and abuses that continue to be committed against children by all parties to the conflict in Nigeria,” and urged all parties to “immediately end and prevent all abuses and violations against children.”
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