This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
On December 11, 2019, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) confirmed that a Nigerian government-backed militia group, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), had set free 461 child soldiers from its ranks.
The children, aged between 12 and 13, had been recruited to fight Boko Haram between 2013 and 2017. They were formally handed over to the government in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, a region in the northeast of the country.
The CJTF was established in 2012, primarily from vigilante groups, in response to Boko Haram's terror campaign. The group has been credited with providing protection to local communities, forcing Boko Haram to flee to the Sambisa forest and the shores of Lake Chad.
According to Geoffrey Ijumba, the Unicef chief of the Borno field office, 3,737 children associated with the CJTF have been identified as being involved in the armed conflict within Maiduguri and 20 other local government areas in the state.
Of these, 1,727 have been released and have accessed reintegration services aimed at giving them skills to cope with life and become meaningful individuals. The latest release brings the total number of children released in 2019 to 1,355, following the release of 894 children in May as part of an action plan signed in September 2017 to end the recruitment and use of children as soldiers.
Unicef is calling upon all parties in the conflict to stop recruiting and using children. As Geoffrey Ijumba said, "As children learn and acquire skills, economies have a chance to progress."
