Nigeria has been ranked fourth worldwide for grave violations committed against school children in conflict zones, according to the United Nations Secretary-General’s 2024 report on Children and Armed Conflict, released in 2025.
The report recorded 41,370 verified incidents of grave violations against children globally in 2024—the highest number in nearly 30 years. These violations include abductions, recruitment into armed groups, and sexual violence.
Nigeria, with 2,436 verified cases, ranked behind Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory (8,554), the Democratic Republic of Congo (4,043), and Somalia (2,568). Haiti followed closely with 2,269 cases.
While non-state armed groups were responsible for nearly half of the total violations, the report noted that government forces were the main perpetrators of killings, maimings, and attacks on schools and hospitals, as well as the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
Globally, attacks on schools surged by 44% between 2022 and 2023, with the military use of schools rising by 20%. More than 10,000 students and teachers were killed, injured, abducted, or detained during this period.
“These violations threaten not only individual lives but the future of entire communities,” the report stated. Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that children in conflict zones are being “robbed of their childhood” amid ongoing breaches of international law by both state and non-state actors.
The report also revealed that over 3,000 children were detained in 2024 for alleged association with armed groups—an increase from the previous year. Gamba called on governments to treat these children primarily as victims and to explore alternatives to detention.
Recommendations included the full implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration and efforts to build more resilient education systems. The report’s release coincides with preparations for a high-level event in Geneva to mark the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
Nigeria, which endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration in 2018, launched a policy for violence-free schools in 2021 and established the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre. However, implementation has been slow, with only 11,000 students enrolled under the initiative as of mid-2025.
