Borno State Government says no fewer than 1,400 schools have been destroyed across the North-East, while 2,295 teachers have been killed and 19,000 displaced amid years of insurgency and conflict in the region.
The government also said about three million children remain in urgent need of emergency education support.
Deputy Governor Umar Usman Kadafur, disclosed this while representing Governor Babagana Zulum at a two-day National Dialogue on the Psychosocial Impact of Conflict on Children in Nigeria held in Maiduguri.
Kadafur said the figures reflected the devastating impact of prolonged conflict on children, particularly on their psychological wellbeing, education and future prospects.
The deputy governor said the consequences of insurgency persisted even after the guns fell silent, with trauma affecting children’s behaviour, ability to trust and relationships with their communities.
“Trauma does not end when the guns fall silent. It embeds itself in their developing brains. It alters their cognition, behaviour, and their capacity to trust,” he said.
Kadafur warned that untreated trauma could fuel bitterness, alienation and vulnerability to recruitment by violent groups.
He said military intervention alone could not address the long-term consequences of insurgency, stressing the need to integrate mental health and psychosocial support into recovery and security efforts.
Kadafur called for a national mental health framework for conflict-affected children, increased deployment of mental health professionals to affected communities, and greater investment in education and community-based interventions.
Also speaking at the event, Prof. Andrew Zamani said the psychological consequences of conflict had become a national emergency, warning that untreated trauma could turn grief and anger into a desire for revenge.
Representing the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the Director of Medical Intelligence, Dr Patience Omokri, said child trauma should be treated as a national security concern.
She said children exposed to insurgency, terrorism and communal violence had suffered the loss of parents and homes, displacement, abduction and other forms of exploitation.
“A traumatised child is not only a victim. If left unsupported, they can become a vector of instability,” Ribadu said in the message.
UNICEF representative, Francis Otuochi, said 270,864 children in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe require mental health and psychosocial support under the 2026 humanitarian needs and response plan.
He urged governments to integrate mental health and psychosocial support into child protection, healthcare, education and social welfare systems.
