UN report places Nigeria 4th globally in attacks on school children

Nigeria has been ranked 4th among countries with the highest levels of “grave violations” against schoolhouse children successful equipped conflict, according to a United Nations report.

The UN Secretary-General’s 2024 study connected children and equipped conflict, released in 2025, revealed that it verified 41,370 attacks — the highest fig of sedate violations against children successful astir 3 decades.

The violations, which see abduction, recruitment, and intersexual violence, placed Nigeria down Israel (and the occupied Palestinian territory), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Somalia.

According to the report, Israel recorded 8,554 cases of sedate violations successful 2024, followed by 4,043 successful DRC, 2,568 successful Somalia, 2,436 successful Nigeria, and 2,269 successful Haiti.

While non-state equipped groups were linked to fractional of the attacks, the study noted that authorities forces were the main perpetrators of killings, maiming, attacks connected schools and hospitals, arsenic good arsenic the denial of humanitarian access.

It further disclosed that attacks connected schools surged globally by 44 per cent betwixt 2022 and 2023, portion the usage of schools for subject purposes roseate by 20 per cent. Over 10,000 students and teachers were either killed, abducted, arrested, oregon injured during this period.

“These violations endanger not lone idiosyncratic lives but the aboriginal of full communities,” the study said.

Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that children caught successful conflicts are being “robbed of their childhood” arsenic governments and equipped groups persist successful violating planetary laws.

The study besides revealed that much than 3,000 children were detained for alleged engagement with equipped groups, an summation from the erstwhile year. Gamba urged governments to dainty these children chiefly arsenic victims and research alternatives to detention.

It recommended the afloat implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, calling connected countries to fortify resilient acquisition systems.

The report’s merchandise comes up of a high-level lawsuit successful Geneva to people the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

Nigeria, which endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration successful 2018, developed a argumentation connected violence-free schools successful 2021 and established the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre to oversee backing and coordination of information measures.

However, implementation has faced challenges, with the initiative’s enrollment complaint reported astatine 11,000 by mid-2025.

The station UN study places Nigeria 4th globally successful attacks connected schoolhouse children appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.