Crisis in crisis: Boko Haram violence, orphaned children, and the precariousness in human survival in Northeast Nigeria

Abstract

The bulk of research exploring the impacts of Boko Haram-induced crisis in Nigeria's Northeast region focuses on the country's social, economic, and political conditions while the understanding on the welfare of vulnerable populations - children living in the conflict-ridden communities is sparse. This study addresses the sparsity by investigating the plights of children who became orphans in the wake of horrific Boko Haram attacks in the region in the mid-2010s. Using a qualitative method, we draw insights from Damaturu, Yobe State, where three hundred and eight (orphaned) children were recruited and interviewed. Based on our analysis of the interview data, we argue that they suffered life-threatening situations - parental fatalities by insurgents, alms begging, hard labour for sustenance, degrading living conditions, sexual exploitation, and recruitment into armed groups for violence. The cumulative effects of the attacks made them unsafe and vulnerable to unconventional coping strategies and delinquency amidst the precarity of decent living in the communities. We provide key research and policy-relevant evidence in advancing the understanding of the predicaments of children in wars and socio-politically precarious environments. Also, we underscore the need for holistic and targeted interventions that include vulnerable children in post-insurgency humanitarian efforts to mitigate their discomfort and improve their living conditions.