Tension is rising in Borno State following the circulation of a viral video showing about 18 underage children in military-style uniforms celebrating in an isolated forest.

The video reportedly shows about 18 children fully kitted in military-style uniforms, assembled in a straight line while jubilating in an isolated forest.

Although the exact location of the footage has not been confirmed, some residents believe the children may be from the Ngoshe axis in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno South Senatorial District, based on the language heard in the video.

In a Facebook post early Monday, the Secretary of the Coalition of Borno South APC Youth Group, Junaid Jibril Maiva, described the development as a potential security threat.

“These appear to be child soldiers, possibly from the Ngoshe axis, judging by the language they are speaking. If this is not a ticking time bomb, then I don’t know what is,” he wrote.

Maiva called for immediate action by the government to address the situation and prevent possible escalation.

“The government must act deliberately and decisively, or this war risks consuming us all,” he added.

Another Facebook user, Muhammad Abdulrahman, suggested that the children in the video might be hostages being held by insurgents.

“A reason the Nigerian Air Force can’t wipe them off overnight; the hundreds of people they are holding hostages,” he said.

When contacted for comment, the Borno State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Zuwaira Gambo, said the children could be victims who were forcefully taken during recent attacks.

“I have not seen the video, but I can categorically say from experience that such children are victims who are sometimes forcefully adopted from the streets and even from schools,” she said.

Gambo noted that recent attacks in parts of the state had resulted in the abduction of women and children, who may later be forced to wear uniforms by armed groups.

“You are aware of the recent attacks where it was said that many women and children were abducted. They can simply sew uniforms and make them wear them,” she added.

The commissioner explained that before the recent attacks, the Borno State government had made significant progress in preventing the recruitment of children by armed groups.

She said the state had implemented programmes such as awareness campaigns, school clubs, community engagements with traditional and religious institutions, and the establishment of children’s parliaments to discourage child recruitment.

“We also have free education in the state and several initiatives aimed at increasing children’s enrolment in schools,” she said.

Gambo further disclosed that the government had recently rescued and rehabilitated about 200 children from the streets before reuniting them with their families.

“All these efforts contributed to the United Nations delisting Borno from areas where children are recruited into terrorism. We no longer had cases of child soldier recruitment until the recent attacks,” she stated.

In February, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised concerns over a rise in the recruitment of children by armed groups in Nigeria’s North-East.

UNICEF Child Protection Manager, Tarek Akkad, disclosed that in 2024 alone, a total of 1,120 children were recruited across the region.

“In Northeast Nigeria, armed groups continue to recruit and use children, impacting boys and girls in different but equally harmful ways,” the agency said.

According to UNICEF, the figure comprised 525 boys and 595 girls recruited by armed groups in the region.

The agency called on state governments in the North-East to intensify efforts to halt the trend and strengthen measures to prevent mass recruitment into militancy.

The Ngoshe community recently came under renewed attention following an attack on a military base in the area in which several civilians were reportedly killed and more than 300 people abducted. (Guardian)

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