Amnesty accused Borno from leaving B’Haram’s victim; The state government is pushing back

The new wave of tension has erupted between Amnesty International and the Borno state government for the treatment of girls and young women who escaped Boko Haram captivity in Northeast of Nigeria.

On Tuesday, Amnesty International criticized Nigeria’s authority for what was called a continuous negligence of female survivors from the abduction of Boko Haram, quoting a lack of launch and failure to support their recovery and reintegration into the community.

In a statement, Isa Sanusi, Director of State Amnesty International Nigeria, condemned the situation as “unacceptable.”

“One year later, it is not acceptable that Nigerian authorities still cannot make sure these young girls and young women can rebuild their lives safely,” Amnesty said. “When women or young women leave Boko Haram must mark the start of their reintegration into the community – However, many tell us that they are still left to fight alone and struggle to survive.

“Victims of violations of Boko Haram, including marriage and forced trade, are still not identified and assisted. Victims of goodbye are still very invisible by government authorities.”

Amnesty criticism was built on the June 2024 report which detailed the struggle of these survivors, many of them continued to live without access to medical care, education, or economic support. The group said that recently in February 2025, they had interviewed eight people who survived between 12 and 17 years old, and a 22-year-old woman who reported did not receive help after escaping from years of detention.

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Calling the decisive actions from Nigeria’s leadership, Amnesty added, “We call on the President of the Tinubu Bola and the Nigerian government to take urgent action to support the survivors of Boko Haram. These young girls and women must be empowered, and have direct access to medical care, education, and livelihood support.”

This group further accused that Nigeria violated various regional and international commitments, including the 2022 submission protocol with the United Nations, African Children’s Charter, Maputo Protocol, and Convention on Children’s Rights -all of which mandated the country to promote recovery and reintegration of children affected by armed conflict.

However, the government of the state of Borno rejected Amnesty’s statement sharply, describing it as a cut off from reality.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Zuwaira Gambo, Commissioner of Women’s Affairs and Social Development, said the state had taken full responsibility for everyone who had been identified with government institutions.

“Those who came out and reported to the government are being taken care of,” Gambo said. “For example, Chibok’s girls have been in custody of the state government since the last three years they began to go out. They went to school for empowerment. Their children were placed in various schools, and they live in facilities provided by the government. So what is negligence there?”

Gambo stressed that the challenge arose with survivors who returned directly to their community without informing government officials. “Victims who came out without reporting to the government and only went to their villages – how would the government know or identify them? Those who were identified with us were professionally and empowered,” he said.

Explaining the empowerment process, Gambo explained that the survivors in the Bulumkutu camp were trained in various vocational skills and equipped with tools after completion.

Those who fainted in the Bulumkutu camp were trained in various skills. At the end of the training, depending on their skills, they are given empowerment tools. Not long ago, some of our partners gave them baking things for those who bake. They receive goods such as baking, sewing machines, sets of food items and even business support, and these are reported people and we have their notes.

> He also recorded a sustainable government involvement in the lives of these women post-Kamp, adding that follow-up was carried out through local authority.

“They report to the community, which is part of the Borno model. Also, whenever we have capacity building training, we invite them. Some even return to their problems. We have social workers in every local government attached to victims and even lost and find children. So we have data. Before leaving us, we give you a certificate out of the place out there.

Gambo also criticized Amnesty International for failing to be directly involved with state officials in the field.

“They (Amnesty International) just go and take one side of the story. Why don’t they come and meet us, especially the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Social Development that handles these programs for the survivors and hear from us?

“They don’t come. You just sit, and base your findings on the rumors. Bulumkutu is a stone’s throw. Why don’t you send people to come and judge what we do?

“Allow us to speak. This is a simple thing, come to Maiduguri, has an interface with those who are responsible, and even if you want, we can allow you to access Chibok girls, visit them at school and see what they are doing. But they only sit in Abuja and assume,” he said.