North-East Governors Deploy Education Initiatives to Combat Child Soldier Recruitment

Governors across Nigeria's North-East region are prioritising education and youth empowerment as strategic tools to protect children from recruitment by armed groups, following alarming new data from the United Nations Children's Fund.

UNICEF revealed on Wednesday that 1,120 children were recruited by armed groups across the North-East in 2024 alone—comprising 525 boys and 595 girls. The disclosure came during commemorations of the International Day Against the Use of Child Soldiers, also known as Red Hand Day, held in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Tarek Akkad, UNICEF's Child Protection Manager, described the situation as one of the most persistent global violations against children. "In Northeast Nigeria, armed groups continue to recruit and use children, impacting boys and girls in different but equally harmful ways," he stated. Globally, an estimated 250,000 children remain involved in armed conflicts.

In response to these concerns, officials from Taraba, Borno, Gombe, Yobe, and Bauchi states have outlined comprehensive policies designed to reduce vulnerability through free education, infrastructure improvements, vocational training, and social support programmes.

Taraba State has positioned free education as a core security strategy. Nelson Dimas, the governor's aide on Policy and Strategic Communication, confirmed that the state has no recorded cases of child recruitment by armed groups, attributing this success to Governor Agbu Kefas's free education policy.

"When children are out of school, they are exposed to the streets and all forms of negative influences," Dimas explained. "By removing tuition fees and expanding access to learning, the governor is deliberately taking children off the streets and placing them in safe, structured environments."

The Taraba administration has complemented free tuition with investments in school infrastructure, teacher recruitment, and community engagement to sustain enrollment. Dimas emphasised that prevention through opportunity remains more effective than reaction, urging stronger regional collaboration amongst North-East governors.

Borno State, which has borne the brunt of the insurgency, has recorded measurable progress. Abdulrahman Bundi, Senior Technical Assistant to the Governor on Print and Digital Communication, revealed that out-of-school children have decreased from 2 million to 700,000.

"As we speak, about 20 Islamic colleges have been constructed to help educate children and prevent them from falling for the antics of terrorists in their deception," Bundi stated. The state has also implemented humanitarian assistance programmes, distributing food and non-food items to families as a strategic buffer against terrorist recruitment tactics that exploit hunger and poverty.

Gombe State has taken a similarly proactive approach. Ismaila Misilli, Director General of Press Affairs, explained that Governor Muhammadu Yahaya's declaration of a state of emergency in education shortly after assuming office marked a turning point in the state's commitment to rebuilding its educational foundation.

"The governor has embarked on human capital development with a key focus on education; the state has mopped up out-of-school children, built Tsangaya Schools and equipped the schools," Misilli said.

The Tsangaya (Almajiri) schools provide structured learning environments where pupils receive both Islamic and conventional education alongside improved welfare support. The state has also implemented youth-focused empowerment programmes and vocational training initiatives designed to provide productive alternatives to exploitation.

Misilli underscored the philosophy driving these interventions: "Education remains the most sustainable solution to child vulnerability. When children are in school and equipped with knowledge and skills, they are less exposed to exploitation and negative influences."

The coordinated emphasis on education across the region reflects a growing recognition that military solutions alone cannot address the root causes of child recruitment. By expanding access to schooling and creating economic opportunities, North-East governors are attempting to remove the conditions that make children susceptible to armed group recruitment in the first place.