The number of missing children in Borno State is increasing, raising concerns that Boko Haram may be recruiting them for insurgency according to The PUNCH report.
A viral video of a young boy confessing to undergoing military training in a forest near Ajiri, in Mafa Local Government Area, has sparked outrage. The boy, believed to be around 10 years old, said he was among 30 children being trained in handling weapons.
“They are training us on weapons. Ali Shehu, Umar, Alhaji, and Malam Oro are the ones training us. We are at least 20 to 30. We are all young boys; some are bigger than me, while I am older than some of them,” the boy said.
In the video, reportedly recorded on January 22, 2025, he demonstrated his ability to strip and reassemble an AK-47 rifle and reload a magazine with ease.
Residents of Borno State are worried that the rise in missing children cases is linked to insurgent recruitment. Aisha Ali, a mother from Mafa, shared her painful experience.
“Around February 2022, my last born, Mustapha, went missing. He was just six years old. It happened in the evening. One moment he was eating, and the next, he was gone. We searched everywhere but never found him. We have concluded that he is dead,” she said.
Another resident, Muhammad Mamman from Maiduguri, recalled how his brother’s four-year-old daughter disappeared last year.
“She just went missing. We announced on the radio, but to this day, we have no idea if she is dead or alive,” he said.
A local radio announcer, who requested anonymity, confirmed that cases of missing children are frequently reported.
“At least once every two weeks, we get announcements about missing children. It is very alarming,” he said.
Residents are now calling on the government and security agencies to take immediate action.
“Security forces must act now. We keep hearing about missing children, and now a boy has come out saying they are in the forest being trained for war. The government cannot remain silent,” said Umar Abdulrahman, another resident.
The police in Borno State confirmed the trend, with at least one reported case of a missing child every week.
The command’s spokesperson, Nahum Daso, acknowledged the problem but assured that some children had been reunited with their families.
“Yes, we do have cases of missing children. On average, at least one per week. But many of them are later found and returned to their families,” he said.
However, Daso dismissed claims that Boko Haram is currently using child soldiers, saying, “Some of these videos are old. The use of children as fighters was in the past. We have not recorded such cases in over a decade.”
Brigadier General Abdullahi Sabi Ishaq (retd.), the Special Adviser to the Borno State Governor on Security, suggested that the recruitment of children was more likely linked to the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) rather than Boko Haram.
“They target young, malnourished almajiri boys, take them to the bush, feed them, and train them for combat. The boy in the video does not look malnourished, which shows the kind of care they are receiving there,” he said.
He added that security forces are cautious in their operations to avoid harming innocent children.
“If the Air Force bombs these locations and children die, the whole country will condemn it. So, the military has to be careful,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the #BringBackOurGirls movement has renewed its demand for the Nigerian government to release the findings of the committee that investigated the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction.
“The government must provide an account of the remaining 78 missing Chibok girls. Successive administrations have failed to release the report despite our demands,” said BBOG spokesperson Jeff Okoroafor.
The group reminded the government that, a decade after the abduction of 276 schoolgirls, 141 had regained their freedom, while 78 were still unaccounted for. They urged Nigerians to join the call for the full disclosure of the investigation into the abduction.
