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Boko Haram Has Recruited About 8,000 Children In It’s War Against Nigeria – United Nations Reveals

Published

2 years ago

February 3, 2022

The United Nations according to a report, has stated that, terrorist group Boko Haram has recruited over 8000 children to beef up its force so as to adequately battle against the Nigerian government..

Per the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Child recruiting has been going on since the beginning of the Boko Haram conflict in the north-east in 2009,

The UN agency further stated in a statement released on Wednesday, February 2 that some children were used as human shields and to detonate bombs while calling for for increased efforts to protect child victims and witnesses in terrorism-related legal processes in Nigeria.

The agency said;

“According to United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) report from the Handbook of Children Recruited and exploited by Terrorist and Violent Extremist Groups since 2009, about 8,000 children have been recruited and used by Boko Haram in Nigeria. Some boys have been forced to attack their own families to demonstrate loyalty to Boko Haram, while girls have been forced to marry, clean, cook and carry equipment and weapons.”

You would recall that in May 2015, a 12-year-old girl was commissioned to ignite a bomb at a bus stop in Damaturu, Yobe State, leaving several injured and killing seven people according to the agency.