In 2019, a colleague and I interviewed dozens of young men in northeastern Nigeria who had been held in horrific situations in an army prison for alleged arrangements with the armed organization Boko Haram. Children described beatings, scorching heat, common hunger and overcrowding in cells with piles of other detainees “like razor blades in a bag. “Most have never been charged and detained for months or years without outdoor contact.
Since 2013, at least 4,000 young people have been detained in Nigeria. Many were abducted against their will or detained while fleeing Boko Haram attacks. Some were as young as five years old.
Our report, published in late 2019, helped free 333 young people from crime, but the government refused to allow the UN to detain them or strike a deal to ensure the young people were not detained by the army and obtained a prompt reintegration. attendance.
Last week, the Nigerian government still signed a “transfer protocol” with the UN agreeing that children detained by the military on suspicion of involvement in Boko Haram would be transferred within seven days to the civilian government for reintegration. This is a vital step that will help you avoid the detention of children by the military and make sure they get what they need.
Nigeria is the only country where young people have been arrested for their alleged participation in armed teams. Last year, the UN reported that 2,864 young people were detained for alleged arrangements with armed teams in 16 countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia and Syria.
Transfer protocols are practical measures to ensure that, after being incarcerated, young people affected by the conflict can be reintegrated into their communities. In Mali, for example, dozens of young people have been transferred from the army to the civilian government for reintegration through a transfer protocol signed in 2013. Chad, Niger and Burkina Faso have also signed protocols.
Children affected by the conflict want rehabilitation and education, not prison. Nigeria’s new deal deserves to help young people get what they want. Other governments deserve to stick to their example.