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“It breaks my heart to see an 11 year old surrendered from Boko Haram enclave with three children” Borno Commissioner
“It breaks my heart to see an 11 year old surrendered from Boko Haram enclave with three children” Borno Commissioner
By: Zagazola Makama
At just 11 years old, Fatima (not her real name) has lived through experiences unimaginable to most. With three children in tow, she surrendered from a Boko Haram enclave, carrying the weight of trauma and responsibilities far beyond her years. Her story, shared by Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Lawan Abba Wakilbe, spotlighted the urgent plight of vulnerable children and young mothers emerging from the insurgency.
“She’s just a child herself,” Wakilbe said. “To see an 11-year-old with three children is heartbreaking. This reflects the harsh reality of many girls and women caught in the insurgency, particularly in border communities like Bama, Banki, and Gwoza.”
Fatima’s surrender is part of a growing wave of young girls and women being repatriated or rescued, often from neighboring countries like Cameroon. Many, aged between 13 and 15, return with children born in captivity. With limited options, some resort to prostitution to survive, a crisis that the Commissioner attributes to extreme poverty and a lack of viable alternatives.
The Commissioner’s call to action underscores the need for urgent intervention. “Poverty is the driving force behind these vices,” he explained. “We need to establish Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) centers in vulnerable areas. These centers can provide skills and startup packs for young mothers like Fatima, enabling them to rebuild their lives.”
Wakilbe stressed that traditional education systems are ill suited to address the unique needs of conflict affected children and girls. Many have witnessed violence, displacement, and abduction, leaving them in need of tailored rehabilitation and reintegration programs.
Efforts to integrate these children into regular schools have faced significant challenges. Wakilbe cited the example of some Chibok girls who struggled in secondary schools and were eventually transferred to specialized programs like the Second Chance School.
“Without long term planning, we’re failing these children,” Wakilbe said. “Donor agencies often miss the mark, implementing programs that don’t address immediate needs. For instance, teaching local languages in areas dominated by other dialects is less impactful than providing a foundational education in English.”
Despite graduating over 300 women through the Second Chance Program and equipping them with vocational skills, the challenges persist. Underage mothers like Fatima remain some of the most vulnerable.
During a courtesy visit by Hajiya Hamsatu Allamin, CEO of the Allamin Foundation for Peace, the Commissioner highlighted the need for collaborative efforts.
Allamin echoed these concerns, sharing insights from her foundation’s work in deradicalizing women and girls.
“Our initiatives, supported by the military and local communities, have helped hundreds of women and girls surrender and reintegrate,” Allamin said. “But the magnitude of the problem requires sustainable, proactive solutions.”
Allamin noted that the challenge extends beyond personal experiences; it calls for urgent action from local authorities, NGOs, and international organizations.
“In our foundation, we have Built vocational education centers and providing tailored programs for rehabilitation which has been helping in addressing the immediate needs of these victims.
“We also Established community awareness programs which foster understanding and acceptance, helping to mitigate the stigma faced by those returning from captivity.
Zagazola Makama understands that the plight of women and girls who fall victim to abduction by Boko Haram presents an alarming reality in Borno State, Nigeria. Many of these victims, after enduring harrowing experiences, return to their communities only to face severe stigmatization and an array of abuses. This issue is compounded by the trauma they have experienced during their captivity, which often includes being forcibly married to militants and bearing children under traumatic circumstances.
Upon returning to their communities, these victims encounter immense societal rejection. A former female member of Boko Haram, who chose to repent and return to her family, poignantly described the painful atmosphere awaiting those who escape the clutches of the insurgency.
She noted, “The Boko Haram tagged Nigeria as the land of sinners. When they come back from the bush, they know they are already living in hell.” This metaphor encapsulates the emotional and social turmoil that victims like her face. Rather than finding solace and support upon their return, many feel further isolated and condemned by their communities.
The stigma attached to being a victim of insurgency extends beyond mere judgment. Victims often experience verbal, physical, and psychological abuse from individuals who view them as tainted or unclean due to their experiences. Such treatment fosters an environment of despair, compelling many to engage in desperate measures to survive.
Prostitution and other nefarious activities have become common among these women, driven by a need for financial stability and, in some cases, by the misguided belief that engaging in these activities may offer them an escape from their grim realities.
The cycles of poverty and violence exacerbate these challenges. Economic hardships and limited access to education and employment opportunities leave few alternatives for victims, perpetuating a cycle of vulnerability. While some women resort to these activities as a means of survival, others may find temporary pleasure or a sense of agency in reclaiming control over their lives, despite the risks involved.
Furthermore, the broader societal neglect exacerbates the situation. Many young mothers remain trapped in a system that fails to recognize their unique needs. Efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate these individuals often lack the necessary resources and long-term planning to be effective. For instance, initiatives focusing solely on education without addressing immediate economic needs fall short of providing the comprehensive support required for successful reintegration.
Zagazola Makama is a Counter Insurgency Expert and Security Analyst in the Lake Chad Region
“It breaks my heart to see an 11 year old surrendered from Boko Haram enclave with three children” Borno Commissioner
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NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe
NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Gombe State Office, on Tuesday, organised a state consultative meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) for the promotion and protection of human rights in the state.
The meeting which was held in Gombe brought together stakeholders from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), security agencies, community representatives, youth groups and other relevant stakeholders.
The engagement was to deliberate on the implementation of the NAP and to identify prevailing human rights concerns affecting citizens within Gombe State.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said that the engagement served as a platform for interaction, exchange of ideas and collective commitment towards strengthening human rights protection mechanisms in Gombe State and Nigeria at large.
Represented by the State Coordinator, NHRC, Gombe State office Dr Joseph Wanshe, Ojukwu emphasised the importance of the NAP as a strategic framework designed to improve the human rights situation in the state and Nigeria through collaboration among government institutions, civil society organisations and citizens.
Wanshe, while presenting an overview of the NAP, explained that the NAP is a comprehensive policy framework aimed at ensuring the promotion, protection and fulfilment of human rights in accordance with constitutional provisions and international human rights obligations ratified by Nigeria.
Mr Lemuel Akeweta while making his presentation said that the objectives of the meeting amongst others was to create awareness on the NAP for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria.
Others he said was to encourage stakeholders’ participation in the implementation of the NAP; identifying prevailing human rights challenges within the state and strengthening collaboration among MDAs, CSOs and other stakeholders.
He also said that practical recommendations and way forward for effective implementation of the NAP at state and grassroots levels would be developed.
Our Correspondent reports that a total of 45 attendees cutting across 28 MDAs and 17 CSOs and a team of five NHRC staff were also present at the meeting.
NHRC, stakeholders meet to promote human rights in Gombe
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Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid
By: Zagazola Makama
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have arrested three suspected terrorist collaborators during a coordinated raid on identified enclaves in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area of Taraba State.
Security sources said that the operation was carried out at about 0610 hours on May 10, 2026, by troops of Sector 3 OPWS deployed at Jimilari.
The sources said the troops conducted simultaneous raids on suspected terrorist hideouts at Binari, Chibi and Andamin communities following credible intelligence on the activities of criminal networks in the area.
According to the sources, three suspects believed to be providing support to terrorist elements were arrested during the operation.
Military authorities said the suspects are currently in custody and undergoing preliminary interrogation to determine the extent of their involvement and possible links to wider criminal networks.
They added that troops will sustain clearance operations and intelligence-led raids across vulnerable communities in Karim-Lamido Local Government Area to dismantle support structures for criminal elements and restore security in the area.
Troops Arrest Three Suspected Terrorist Collaborators in Taraba State Raid
News
Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-
Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-
By: Adeola Labzy
When the Minister-Designate for Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, told the Nigerian Senate that there was “no quick fix” to Nigeria’s electricity crisis, the statement stood out for departing from the familiar rhetoric that has long shaped public conversations about the sector. In a country where ambitious declarations on power reform have often generated headlines faster than measurable outcomes, Tegbe’s remarks offered an early signal of a different leadership posture, one anchored less on spectacle and more on execution.
This matters because Nigeria’s power sector has spent decades trapped in cycles of overpromising and institutional under-delivery. Successive reform efforts have come with bold projections, aggressive timelines, and repeated assurances. Yet the sector continues to struggle with liquidity constraints, weak market confidence, transmission vulnerabilities, collection inefficiencies, infrastructure deficits, and operational instability. Over time, the deeper casualty has not only been electricity supply, but institutional credibility.
Against that background, Tegbe’s emphasis on transparency, execution discipline, and operational realism should be read as a useful starting point, not a completed achievement. Nigeria’s electricity market does not suffer from a shortage of reform language. The problems are already well known to policymakers, operators, investors, regulators, and consumers. What has consistently undermined progress is fragmented implementation, weak accountability, poor coordination across the value chain, and the absence of sustained commercial discipline.
In that sense, Tegbe’s early posture appears calibrated toward restoring confidence in the system’s ability to execute before pursuing grand transformation narratives. This is particularly important in a sector where investor confidence, market liquidity, and operational stability are deeply interconnected. Markets respond not merely to ambition, but to predictability, governance credibility, and measurable execution. Each part of the value chain affects the other. Generation without evacuation capacity creates waste. Tariff reform without metering creates distrust. Investment without payment discipline weakens confidence. Policy statements without visible milestones deepen cynicism.
Financial sustainability will be one of the defining pillars of any credible reform effort. For years, the electricity market has operated within a fragile commercial structure marked by accumulated debts, subsidy pressures, payment shortfalls, collection gaps, and uncertainty over cost recovery. The long-term viability of the sector depends not only on expanding infrastructure, but on restoring commercial discipline and rebuilding confidence in the market itself.
This is where transparency becomes strategically important. Transparent reforms reduce uncertainty, strengthen accountability, and give investors, operators, consumers, and policymakers a clearer basis for judging progress. In practical terms, transparency is not merely a governance principle; it is an economic stabilisation tool. It can help rebuild trust in tariff decisions, improve confidence in sector data, and create a more disciplined environment for investment and performance monitoring.
Equally important is execution discipline. Infrastructure projects rarely fail only because funding is unavailable. Many fail because coordination weakens, procurement becomes opaque, implementation drifts, and accountability is diluted. In the power sector, credibility will not be rebuilt by rhetoric alone. It will require visible, measurable, and sustained improvements in the operating system of reform.
Nigeria’s power sector does not require another cycle of exaggerated optimism followed by institutional disappointment. It requires leadership capable of confronting difficult realities honestly while building a credible pathway toward operational stability, financial sustainability, and long-term reform credibility.
That is why Tegbe’s insistence on transparent reforms and execution discipline is important. Its significance will not lie in the statement itself, but in whether it becomes a governing method. In a sector where credibility has become almost as scarce as stable electricity, restoring confidence in governance may be the first and most important reform of all.
Adeola Labzy writes from Abuja, Nigeria.
Execution Discipline Will Define Tegbe’s Agenda for Nigeria’s Power Sector-
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