Lawan Wakilbe, the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, has raised concerns about the increasing issue of prostitution among women and children who were previously held captive by Boko Haram militants. Wakilbe discussed this issue during a meeting with Hamsatu Allamin, CEO of the Allamin Foundation for Peace, in Maiduguri on Friday. He stated that many freed victims have been subjected to sexual exploitation, particularly in areas such as Bama, Banki, and Gwoza.
The commissioner highlighted the tragic case of an 11-year-old girl with three other children, revealing how dire the situation has become. He also mentioned that Cameroonian authorities had recently repatriated young girls, aged 13 to 15, who were victims of sexual abuse and now have children of their own. Wakilbe emphasized that poverty and the lack of alternatives for survival were major contributing factors to the prostitution problem.
This issue comes amid the broader humanitarian crisis in Borno, which has been deeply affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, which has caused the deaths of over 50,000 people and displaced more than two million since 2009.
