Human rights organisation Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian government of neglecting the needs of girls and young women who escaped Boko Haram captivity in the North-East.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Country Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, condemned the ongoing inaction by the government, describing the development as unacceptable.
He added that the government had failed to provide adequate reintegration services, with the girls being unable to support themselves or their families.
“In June 2024, Amnesty International published ‘Help us build our lives’: Girl survivors of Boko Haram and military abuses in north-east Nigeria, documenting how these girls and young women were requesting support as they attempted to heal and reintegrate into society.
“One year later, it is unacceptable that the Nigerian authorities still cannot ensure these girls and young women are able to rebuild their lives in safety.
The moment girls or young women leave Boko Haram should mark the start of their reintegration into society,and yet, many have told us they are still being left to fend for themselves and are struggling to survive.
Victims of Boko Haram abuses, including forced marriage and trafficking, are still not being identified and helped. Girl survivors are still overwhelmingly invisible to the government authorities,” the statement partly read.
Amnesty said it had remotely interviewed seven recently-escaped survivors between ages 12 and 17, and a 22-year-old woman in February 2025, who reported struggling to survive without support from the government, even after escaping years of abuse, including forced marriages and trafficking.
None of the survivors were offered any tailored reintegration services or made aware of available counselling, vocational training, or other support services.
In seven cases, when child survivors encountered security forces after leaving Boko Haram, they were not transferred to civilian authorities for appropriate care, as specified by the terms of the handover protocol signed between the Nigerian government and the United Nations in 2022.
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Nigeria should take steps “to promote [the] physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration” of children who are victims of armed conflict.
The African Children’s Charter and the Maputo Protocol also oblige Nigeria to afford special protection to girls and women against early and forced marriage,” Sanusi stated.
The organisation therefore called on President Bola Tinubu to take urgent action to support the survivors, adding that the girls must be empowered and provided with access to medical care.
We call on President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian government to take urgent action to support survivors of Boko Haram.
These girls and young women must be empowered and have immediate access to medical care, education, and livelihood support,” the statement read.
