UN flags Nigeria among top five countries for child soldier recruitment

Nigeria has been identified as one of the five countries with the highest incidence of child recruitment into armed groups, as the United Nations raises fresh alarm over the deepening global crisis of children caught in conflict.

The disclosure was made in an interview published on the UN website ahead of the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers by Vanessa Frazier, the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict.

Frazier described the recruitment and use of minors as one of the most persistent and devastating violations recorded in conflict zones worldwide.

“In 2024 alone, over 7,400 children were recruited or used by armed forces and armed groups — and those are only the verified cases,” she said. “The recruitment and use of children remains one of the gravest violations we face.”

According to UN data, the highest levels of violations are currently recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, and Myanmar. The UN also expressed concern about emerging patterns in Sudan, where children are reportedly being drawn into roles ranging from sentry duties to frontline combat.

Frazier cautioned that the statistics conceal deeply personal stories of trauma and interrupted childhoods.

“Each number in our report represents a child whose innocence has been stolen,” she said.

Over the past three decades, the UN’s mandate on children and armed conflict has helped secure the release of more than 220,000 children from armed groups. The Special Representative’s office engages directly with armed actors to negotiate the release of minors — often one of the few channels of dialogue in active conflict settings.

After their release, UNICEF and partner organisations take over reintegration efforts, providing psychosocial support, education, and community rehabilitation. Yet reintegration, especially for girls, is frequently hindered by stigma.

“Girls who return may be rejected by their communities, particularly those who come back with children,” Frazier noted, pointing to the layered trauma female survivors often face.

In Nigeria, insurgent violence in the northeast has left thousands of children vulnerable to abduction and forced recruitment over the past decade. These experiences, she said, continue to have lasting effects on families and communities.

Recalling her meetings with survivors of Boko Haram abductions, Frazier spoke of the human reality behind the numbers.

“When you see a 13-year-old girl holding her baby, you understand how conflict robs children of their childhood,” she said. “These are children who should have had their futures ahead of them.”

She stressed that prevention must remain central to the international response, particularly through access to education.

“Even during conflict, children must remain in school. When they are out of school, they become far more vulnerable to recruitment, whether forced or coerced,” she explained.

Frazier also highlighted the importance of accountability, referencing prosecutions in domestic courts and at least three cases before the International Criminal Court involving the recruitment of children.

“Justice is one of the strongest deterrents. When perpetrators are held accountable, it sends a clear message that this crime carries consequences,” she said.

Describing children as “the epitome of innocence,” Frazier warned that sustainable peace is impossible if young people are left to bear the scars of war without support.

“The sustainability of peace depends on children’s ability to move forward. They must be able to return to school, to dream, and to aspire to meaningful futures,” she added.

Through her advocacy campaign, Prove It Matters, children affected by war send handwritten appeals to global leaders, folded into origami doves symbolising peace. One such message, she recalled, read: ‘I still have hope for a peaceful world. Never again a girl being a wife of a guerrilla fighter. Never again being part of armed groups. Let’s save childhoods and families too.’

“Children should never be treated as collateral damage of war. Protecting them is not optional,  it is essential to building a peaceful and sustainable future.”