The psychological impact of prolonged insurgency on children in Nigeria’s North-East is emerging as a serious national security concern, with experts warning that untreated trauma could deepen instability and expose vulnerable children to violent groups.
The warning was raised during a two-day National Dialogue on the Psychosocial Impact of Conflict on Children in Nigeria, held in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Speaking at the event, Borno State Deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur, who represented Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, said the effects of conflict continued long after active fighting had stopped.
He said trauma could alter children’s behaviour, ability to trust and relationships with their communities, stressing that military intervention alone could not address the long-term consequences of insurgency.
According to the state government, more than 1,400 schools have been destroyed across the North-East, while 2,295 teachers have been killed and about 19,000 displaced.
The government also estimated that nearly three million children remain in urgent need of emergency education support.
Kadafur warned that failure to address the psychological wounds of conflict could create a new cycle of bitterness, alienation and vulnerability to recruitment by violent groups.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, also described child trauma as a national security issue.
Representing Ribadu, the Director of Medical Intelligence, Dr Patience Omokri, said children affected by insurgency, terrorism and communal violence had endured displacement, abduction, loss of parents and homes, as well as other forms of exploitation.
She warned that children who receive no support after traumatic experiences could eventually contribute to instability.
Meanwhile, UNICEF representative Francis Otuochi disclosed that 270,864 children across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe require mental health and psychosocial support under the 2026 humanitarian needs and response plan.
The participants therefore called for stronger integration of mental health services into education, healthcare, child protection and social welfare programmes in conflict-affected communities.
The dialogue also stressed the need for increased investment in community-based interventions and the deployment of more mental health professionals to areas affected by insurgency.
