As the countdown continues to the 9th Biannual Meeting of States (BMS 9) on the United Nations Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons (UNPoA), scheduled for June 2, 2026 in New York, two civil society organisations have called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently declare a state of emergency on the country’s out-of-school children crisis.
The West African Action Network on Small Arms (WAANSA) and the Gender and Development Initiative (GEADI) said Nigeria’s estimated 18.3 million out-of-school children, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and UNICEF, now represent a deepening national security threat.
In a statement signed by President WAANSA Nigeria and Founder GEADI, Barr. Lamidi Temitope May, the groups described the situation as a “national plague” that has moved beyond education policy failure into a structural driver of insecurity, extremism, and violent recruitment networks across parts of the country.
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They also raised concern over what they described as the continued exclusion of women from key security and peacebuilding structures, arguing that it has weakened community-level intelligence and prevention systems.
“The near exclusion of women from community engagement, peacebuilding, and security architecture has created a permanent recruitment and retention pipeline for Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations,” the statement read. “This is not incidental, it is structural. And it is artificially elongating the war.”
WAANSA and GEADI said children who are denied access to education are more likely to become vulnerable to manipulation, radicalisation, and recruitment by armed groups operating in different regions of the country.
They warned that extremist networks continue to target unschooled minors, drawing them into operational roles such as couriers, informants, fighters, and in extreme cases, suicide operatives.
The organisations referenced disturbing incidents reported in northern Nigeria, including a viral video from Borno State showing a 15-year-old boy allegedly apprehended while transporting funds linked to terrorist logistics. They also cited reports of underage boys seen carrying assault weapons in forest-based camps.
They further pointed to earlier public security footage circulated by the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), where a young boy reportedly expressed willingness to participate in terrorist operations, a case they described as evidence of early-stage radical socialisation.
“These are the predictable consequences of allowing millions of children to roam streets instead of sitting in classrooms,” the statement added.
Key Demands to the Federal Government
- WAANSA and GEADI outlined four major demands to the Nigerian government:
- Declaration of a state of emergency on the out-of-school children crisis, supported by a clear timeline and coordinated multi-sector implementation framework.
- Full inclusion of women in national security architecture, including intelligence gathering, early warning systems, community policing, and counter-terrorism operations.
- Mandatory adoption of gender-responsive community engagement in all counter-insurgency and peacebuilding programmes.
- Integration of women-led education access initiatives into security reforms, with emphasis on reducing recruitment vulnerability among children.
The groups said the upcoming BMS 9 meeting in New York provides Nigeria with an opportunity to demonstrate alignment with the UNPoA’s gender-related commitments and broader global security standards.
They also urged participating member states to ensure accountability mechanisms are enforced, particularly regarding Nigeria’s integration of women into its small arms control and violence prevention strategies.
“The countdown to BMS 9 has begun. The clock is also ticking for 18.3 million Nigerian children,” the statement said. “The Federal Government must act now. Declare a state of emergency. Mainstream women into security. Break the recruitment cycle. End the war.”
The statement concluded that continued delay would deepen insecurity and expand recruitment pipelines for armed groups.
“Every day of delay adds more children to terrorist camps. Every woman excluded from security architecture extends the war by another season. Nigeria cannot afford either.”
The statement was signed by Lamidi Temitope May, LLB, President of WAANSA Nigeria and Founder of GEADI.
