The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has lamented that over the continued recruitment of children in the North-East as sex-slaves and child soldiers, indicating that 1, 120 might have been forced into non-state armed groups in the year 2024.
UNICEF Child Protection Manager, Tarek Akkad, disclosed this during an event organised to mark “the 2026 Red Hand Day commemoration, a global action against the use of child soldiers” held in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
He noted that a total of 595 girls and 525 boys were recruited, which is a persistent and deeply damaging violation that continues to shape the realities of conflict-affected communities in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
He emphasised that despite significant progress in international law and advocacy, the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict remain a persistent and troubling reality.
“Today, we reaffirm our collective responsibility to protect children from the horrors of war,” he said. “No child should have to choose between survival and innocence.
“Recent UN reports reveal that in Northeast Nigeria alone, over 1,100 children were recruited by armed groups in 2024, a stark indicator that the fight against child soldiers is far from over. Globally, an estimated 250,000 children continue to be involved in armed conflicts, a grim statistic that underscores the urgency of sustained action.
“The red handprint has become a universal symbol of resistance,” Akkad continues, “It is a call to the world’s conscience: stop the use of children in armed conflict, and stop the exploitation of innocence in war.”
Akkad urged the stakeholders with a message of hope and renewed commitment: “Let the red handprint symbolise not only protest but also hope — hope for a world where every child is free from violence and able to fulfil their potential,” he said.
