Jutha Gupah, Maiduguri
April 14, 2023.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Munduate, has condemned the over 2, 400 incidents of grave violations that affected over 6, 800 children in the Northeast.
Munduate raised the alarm, yesterday (Friday), in a statement released in Abuja to mark the Boko Haram abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls on April 14, 2014 in Borno State.
According to her, nine years after the schoolgirls were abducted from their dormitory in the middle of the night, 96 girls, however, remain in captivity.
She added that thousands more children have been subjected to grave violations of their rights.
Continued; “The statistics are disturbing; while the reality is devastating. It has been nine years since the horrendous abduction of the schoolgirls.”
She lamented that the nightmare continues as children are still being kidnapped, forcibly recruited, killed and injured including the termination of their future.
On the release of girls and children in captivity, she said: “We cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of Nigeria’s children.
“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.”
She noted that the most common violations; are recruitment or use of children by armed groups with 700 verified cases, followed by abductions of 693 children.
According to her, about 675 children were killed or maimed gruesomely without any course.
On the teachers killed in the conflict, she said: “The Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TCN) reports that, between 2009 and 2022, around 2,295 teachers were reportedly killed in attacks,” adding that over 19,000 teachers were also displaced, while over 1,500 schools closed because of insecurity, as 910 schools were destroyed by the insurgents.
She warned that the impact of the conflict on education is alarming, with repercussions that will likely affect generations.
End.
