Attacks on schools rose by 44% worldwide, with over 10,000 students and teachers harmed, abducted, or killed.
Nigeria has been ranked fourth globally in grave violations against school children in armed conflict, according to the UN Secretary-General’s 2024 report on children and armed conflict.
The report, released in 2025, verified 41,370 attacks, the highest figure in nearly three decades. Grave violations include abduction, recruitment, sexual violence, and attacks on schools.
It said Israel, the DRC, Somalia, and Nigeria accounted for the most cases, with Nigeria recording 2,436 violations in 2024.
Globally, attacks on schools surged by 44% between 2022 and 2023, while the use of schools for military purposes rose by 20%. More than 10,000 students and teachers were killed, abducted, or harmed.
“These violations threaten not only individual lives but the future of entire communities,” the report stated.
Virginia Gamba, UN special representative for children and armed conflict, urged governments to fully implement the Safe Schools Declaration, noting children in war zones are being “robbed of their childhood.”