Borno State residents have raised alarm following the circulation of a viral video showing underage children believed to be linked to terrorist groups dressed in military-style camouflage inside a forest.
The video, obtained on Monday, reportedly shows about 18 young boys wearing combat uniforms and standing in a line while celebrating in what appears to be a remote and deserted location.
Although the exact location has not been confirmed, some residents suggested that the language spoken in the footage indicates the children may be from the Ngoshe area in Gwoza Local Government Area of the state.
Reacting to the video on Facebook, Secretary of the Coalition of Borno South APC Youth Group, Junaid Jibril Maiva, described the situation as a serious security threat.
He warned that the development could become a major crisis if authorities fail to address it promptly.
Maiva urged the government to take decisive steps to prevent the recruitment of children into armed groups, stressing that failure to act could worsen the region’s security challenges.
Another social media user, Muhammad Abdulrahman, suggested that the children seen in the footage might be victims being held hostage by insurgents.
According to him, the presence of abducted civilians could be one of the reasons military forces have not launched an immediate offensive against the group.
When contacted for reaction, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Borno, Zuwaira Gambo, said the children may have been forcefully taken during recent attacks by armed groups.
She explained that in many cases insurgents abduct children from communities, schools and streets before forcing them into their ranks.
The commissioner noted that the state government had previously implemented several programmes aimed at preventing child recruitment into armed groups.
According to her, the initiatives included awareness campaigns, school-based clubs, community engagement with traditional and religious leaders, and the establishment of children’s parliaments.
Gambo added that the government had also introduced free education and rehabilitation programmes to remove vulnerable children from the streets and reunite them with their families.
She disclosed that about 200 street children were recently rescued, rehabilitated and returned to their communities under such interventions.
The commissioner further stated that these measures contributed to the removal of Borno from the list of areas associated with child recruitment into terrorist groups by the United Nations.
However, the United Nations Children’s Fund had earlier warned about an increase in the recruitment of children by insurgent groups in the North-East.
UNICEF Child Protection Manager, Tarek Akkad, revealed that about 1,120 children were recruited by armed groups across the region in 2024.
The agency called on state governments in the area to strengthen efforts to prevent the exploitation of minors and curb the growing trend of child recruitment into militancy.
