Stories from UNODC Nigeria

UNODC hosts Capacity-building workshop on the Treatment of Children Associated with Terrorist Groups

Abuja, 19 th Sept 2022-Terrorist and violent extremist groups' tactic increasingly focuses on winning the 'hearts and minds' of local populations and have become skilled at recruiting and exploiting children for criminal purposes. In Nigeria, Boko Haram factions use children as spies, slaves and propaganda pawns as well as for the perpetration of violent attacks. The United Nations country task force on monitoring and reporting in Nigeria was able to verify the recruitment and use of 1,385 children by Boko Haram in the three years prior to 2019. Unfortunately, this is likely to represent only a very small proportion of those affected. Recruitment and exploitation expose these children to the risk of early death, injury, psychological scarring and long-lasting rejection from their communities. 

An alarming development has been the increasing incidence of bandit groups using similar tactics to recruit children in the north west and north central states. Furthermore, recent months have seen mass defections from the insurgency, with Borno State reporting that over 70,000 fighters and family members (including children) have presented themselves to the authorities. In this context, promoting effective rehabilitation and reintegration of children formerly associated has become a crucial priority.[Read More]

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New research shows that 75% of Nigerian migrants planned to use smugglers or travel facilitators for overland journeys

Requests for bribes and security risks along routes taken by migrants from Nigeria have led to a high reliance on smugglers and travel facilitators (who organize regular travel), new research from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveals.

The research, from the UNODC  Observatory on Smuggling of Migrants, notes that some Nigerians surveyed (30 per cent) believed there was no alternative to being smuggled in order to achieve their migration goals. As one man from Edo State in southern Nigeria described: "These days in Europe and in other Western countries, Nigerians are discriminated against…It is so difficult to get a visa to travel out of Nigeria, and that is why many people opt for the irregular route by travelling through the desert."

 

Many Nigerians believe that using a smuggler will be cheaper, easier, or safer than undertaking the journey alone, due to the presence of officials or non-state actors demanding bribes and protection money along the route.

Even so, surveys indicate that Nigerians pay a high price to the smugglers - an average of around US$610 for smuggling by land within West and North Africa. Fees cover access to the network of smuggling contacts, transportation and sometimes also bribes and accommodation, but usually exclude food and drink.[Read More]

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International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism 2022: the relevance of victim-centered criminal justice responses to terrorism

Abuja, 22 August 2022 - Last Sunday was the fifth commemoration of the International Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, which is intended to provide a platform for the voices of victims and survivors of terrorism. Ensuring access to justice for the victims of terrorism so that their interests are also represented in criminal proceedings lies at the heart of UNODC's mission to integrate the victims' perspective in its capacity-building activities.

To this end UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) has been shining a spotlight on victims' stories in a weeklong Twitter campaign that can be accessed by clicking on this  link.  

The campaign has featured victim stories from around the world, including from one anonymous survivor here in Nigeria who shared the lasting impact that the experience of terrorist violence has had on their mental health:

"I feel traumatized because at any moment I become triggered by the sound of their name, loud sounds, and crowds. When they started the violent campaign in this area, bomb explosions and gun shoot sounds was what we heard daily in this community, the street was littered with dismembered body parts, this is what comes to my mind always." [Read More]

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