Viral Video Shows Children Armed With Guns in Borno, Sparking National Outrage

Viral Video Shows Children Armed With Guns in Borno, Sparking National Outrage

A disturbing video circulating widely on social media has sparked national outrage after it showed dozens of young boys, some as young as nine, dressed in military-style camouflage uniforms and handling firearms in a forested area of Borno State. The footage appears to depict a paramilitary-style training session, highlighting the ongoing forced recruitment of children by terrorist groups in Nigeria’s northeast.

In the video, the children stand in rows, performing drills and chanting while under the supervision of unidentified adults. Several of the uniforms appear oversized, suggesting they may have been looted from military formations or acquired during attacks on security posts, a tactic reportedly used by insurgents in the region.

Security analysts and local observers believe the footage is linked to Boko Haram or the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), both of which have a long history of child abductions, recruitment, and use of minors in combat and propaganda. Many of the children in the video are suspected to be from communities around the Ngoshe axis in Gwoza Local Government Area, a hotspot for recent insurgent activity, including raids, killings, and mass abductions.

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Experts warn that such exposure to weapons, military drills, and extremist indoctrination is aimed at grooming children as future combatants and indoctrinating them at a young age. One analyst described the use of children in uniform and armed drills as a form of psychological warfare, designed to demonstrate that terrorist groups still maintain a steady flow of recruits despite military pressure.

Human rights advocates have condemned the development as a grave violation of international humanitarian law, calling for urgent interventions to protect minors. The recruitment of children in armed conflict violates both national law and international child protection conventions, making the practice a serious human rights abuse.

Officials from the Borno State government emphasised that many children in such circumstances are victims rather than willing participants, with militants abducting minors from schools, homes, and streets to train them in camps controlled by extremist factions.

Despite ongoing military operations by the Nigerian Armed Forces, including the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai, analysts warn that insurgent groups continue to exploit vulnerable populations due to poverty, displacement, and limited access to education, making comprehensive child protection programs essential. Recent military efforts have successfully rescued abducted children, but challenges remain in addressing the root causes of forced recruitment.

Viral Video Shows Children Armed With Guns in Borno, Sparking National Outrage