Outrage as video of child soldiers goes viral

Residents in Borno State have voiced significant concern regarding a viral video that depicts underage children, believed to be child soldiers associated with terrorist groups, clad in full camouflage attire within an abandoned forest.

The video, which was acquired by our correspondent on Monday, features approximately 18 children fully outfitted in military gear, lined up in formation while celebrating in a secluded forest.

Although the precise location has yet to be verified, local residents indicate that the dialect spoken by the children implies they may originate from the Ngoshe region in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno South Senatorial District.

In a Facebook post made early Monday, Junaid Jibril Maiva, the Secretary of the Coalition of Borno South APC Youth Group, characterized the situation as a potential crisis waiting to unfold.

He stated, “These seem to be child soldiers, likely from the Ngoshe area, based on the language they are using. If this is not a potential crisis, then I am uncertain what is.”

He urged for prompt governmental intervention to halt this trend, cautioning about possible future consequences.

“The government must take action with intention and urgency, or this conflict threatens to engulf us all,” he further remarked.

In the meantime, another Facebook user, Muhammad Abdulrahman, proposed that the children could be hostages.

“There is a reason the Nigerian Air Force cannot eliminate them overnight; they are holding hundreds of individuals hostage,” he commented.

When reached for a statement, Zuwaira Gambo, the Borno State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, indicated that the children might have been forcibly taken following recent assaults.

“I have not viewed the video, but I can assert from my experience that such children are often victims who are forcibly taken from streets and even educational institutions.

“I’m sure you are aware of the recent attacks where it was said that many women and children were abducted. So, they can just sew uniforms and wear it on them,” she added.

The Commissioner noted that before the recent attacks, the Borno State government had made significant efforts to prevent children from being recruited or adopted by armed groups.

“I’m sure you are aware of the recent attacks where it was said that many women and children were abducted. So, they can just sew uniforms and wear it on them,” she added.

The Commissioner noted that before the recent attacks, the Borno State government had made significant efforts to prevent children from being recruited or adopted by armed groups.

“We have programmes like awareness creation, school clubs, visits to traditional and religious institutions, and setting up of children’s parliamentarians. We even have free education in the state and many other efforts which have been made to increase children’s enrolment as well.

“Some months ago, we picked about 200 children from the street, rehabilitated them, enrolled them, and reunited them with their families. All these efforts put together made the UN delist the state, from the list of places where there is child recruitment into terrorism. You can Google them. We don’t have cases of child soldier recruitment anymore if not for the recent attack,” she stressed.

In February, reports indicated that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised concerns regarding an increase in the recruitment of child soldiers by terrorist groups in the North East.

Tarek Akkad, UNICEF's Child Protection Manager, stated that in the year 2024 alone, 1,120 children were recruited throughout the North-East.

The agency was cited as saying, “In Northeast Nigeria, armed groups persist in recruiting and utilizing children, affecting boys and girls in different yet equally detrimental manners.

“In 2024, a total of 1,120 children were recruited, consisting of 525 boys and 595 girls.”

UNICEF urged governors in the region to enhance their efforts to combat this trend and to reinforce measures aimed at preventing mass recruitment into militancy.

The Ngoshe community recently garnered attention following an assault on a military base, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and the abduction of over 300 individuals.