By Deborah Tolu-Kolawole
DEBORAH TOLU-KOLAWOLE writes about how the decade-long insurgency in the North-East has affected the mental health of children currently undergoing psycho-social classes in Maiduguri, Borno State, under a rehabilitation programme
Thirteen-year-old Abba Goni got separated from his parents while fleeing Boko Haram insurgents in Monguno, Borno State.
Goni said, “We were in my father’s shop when Boko Haram attacked our town. We left the town that same night and arrived at a village on foot. We slept in the bush and Boko Haram flashed torchlights in our faces where we were sleeping but thankfully, they did not see us. The next morning, they attacked again, and everyone fled in different directions. That was how I became separated from my parents.’’
Though a neighbour later took him in to live with a relative at the Stadium Internally Displaced Persons camp in Maiduguri, his situation is tough. “There were days I had no food to eat,” he said.
At first, it seemed as if luck shone on Goni when someone saw his father at another IDP camp. But sadly, the joy was short-lived because his father died shortly after an illness.
“Eventually, someone sighted my father at the Teachers Village IDP camp and I was reunited with my family. But my father died soon after from an illness. I miss everything about him. He was a trader and Islamic cleric. He used to advise me and pray on water for us. Being separated from my family and my father’s death are my lowest points in life,’’ said Goni.
Goni’s mental health struggle during the initial separation from his family and the death of his father offer an overview of a larger struggle in the lives of the other children unfortunate to have been exposed directly or indirectly to violence and conflict at an early stage in life. Goni’s plight captures the dilemma faced by violence-affected children in the North.
The Borno State Government noted that it would close all Internally Displaced Persons camps located within Maiduguri by December 31, 2021.
The state governor, Babagana Zulum, said that the decision to close the camps in Maiduguri was informed by the recent improvement in the security situation in the state.
He added that the state government decided to close the camps to enable displaced persons to return to their ancestral homes.
Devastating effects of insurgency on children
The 12-year-old conflict in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states by Boko Haram terror group through its violent campaign for the abolition of western education and the forceful establishment of an Islamic State led to the death of over 300,000 children.
While some children died indirectly as a result of malnutrition, diarrhoea, inadvertently picking up of IEDs/explosives, others were used as suicide bombers and child soldiers. But for children who survived, life would never remain the same.
“Some of the children had their parents killed in front of them, thinking about this alone brings horror. Others had to escape from their villages with people who were not their parents. So most of the time, they are down, they are not active during class sessions,’’ said Achara Bazhigila, a worker with Goalprime Organisation, a Non- Governmental Organisation currently working with UNICEF to rehabilitate conflict-affected children in Borno State.
Our correspondent learnt that the violence in the area also resulted in the destruction of schools, health facilities, homes and offices with residents forced to flee their ancestral homes and living like refugees in Internally Displaced Persons camps across the country.
Children, said to be the most affected by the decade-old conflict, were forced out of school and left in trauma which led to devastating impacts and traumatic experiences on their mental health.
Years later, through the intervention of international organisations, agencies, foreign governments and donors, children who are survivors are trying to come to terms with living normal lives, interacting with others and returning to school amid fear, anger, trauma and depression.
Currently, 5,129 out of the many conflict-affected children in Borno State in the North-East are receiving services including mental health support in safe spaces to strengthen their well-being, resilience, literacy skills and self-reliance under a special initiative initiated by the European Union and UNICEF.
A statement jointly signed by the two organisations and sent to Saturday PUNCH described the initiative as an “EU-funded support to Early Recovery and Resilience Project.”
The Country Representative for UNICEF, Peter Hawkins, said in the statement, “A recent mental health and psycho-social support needs assessment of conflict-affected children in North-East Nigeria revealed pervasive psycho-social distress manifesting as high levels of anxiety, suspiciousness, anger, aggressiveness, and hyper-vigilance.
“The scars of conflict are real and enduring for children. Stress and violence have been linked to poor brain development, depression and poor self-esteem, and children exposed to conflict and violence are at risk of long-term mental health and psycho-social issues. In the meantime, we are committed to working with our partners to provide psycho-social and other support to conflict-affected children so they can regain their childhood and restart their lives.
Also quoted in the statement, the EU Head of Cooperation, Cecile Tassin-Pelzer, said, “Addressing the psycho-social well-being and development of children and teachers in conflict situations is an important part of re-establishing education provision and enabling children to re-enter schools safely.”
‘’Children in North-East Nigeria have been severely affected by a conflict that they did not start,’’ noted UNICEF Field Officer for Maiduguri Office, Phuong Nguyen.
She told our correspondent, ‘’There are many fallouts of this protracted conflict and no child should have to experience any of them.’’
“The rate of school abductions, high rated violence by Boko Haram which has led to the death of over 300,000 children has negatively affected the social and psychological wellbeing of children in the North-East,’’ added Owoicho Boniface, a mental health and psychological support officer at Goalprime Nigeria.
“Mental health is a spectrum that is dependent on multiple factors, including the mental health status (Neurological or psychosis) before the conflict, the nature of the conflict, exposure to stressors, and the cultural and community context.
“When all these factors are broken because of high rated violence, children tend to lose their social wellbeing. Exposure to mass trauma and family violence, displacement, social isolation, loss of social status, and perceived discrimination and in entrenchment expose children to stressors which further exacerbate to chronic anxiety, Attention Deficit and Hyperactive disorder fear and even depression.
Nguyen further said that children who had slipped into depression from an early age or had their mental health toiled with could overcome depression easily if the signs and symptoms were diagnosed early and not overlooked including therapies by a psychologist.
She stated, “With proper counselling which also depends on the age of the child, the child can be treated successfully. Play therapy is one of the best ways where the child is engaged to play or draw which helps in changing negative thoughts.
Succour for Goni
Fortunately for Goni, he got access to the psycho-social classes offered in the child-friendly space established by UNICEF at the camp. Equipped with volunteers and psychologists, the CFS offers mental health support to conflict-affected children. Through efforts of the CFS, volunteers also connect children to schools for enrolment.
“I started attending sessions at the CFS this year and I like everything about it. We have been taught personal hygiene and hand washing with soap after visiting the toilet. We have also been taught to be well-behaved and avoid cheating others and stealing,’’ said Goni.
“I believe I have a message for many people. I want to preach good behaviour with songs,’’ he said.
The terror group
Boko Haram activities have caused untold havoc to children in the North.
Senior analyst, Extremism Policy Unity, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Bulama Bukarti, in his book, “Violent Extremism in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from the rise of Boko Haram,’’ stated that since forming of the group in early 2003, it had “dramatically evolved from a group of local preachers peddling violent rhetoric to the deadliest terror group in the world – just over a decade later.
Bulama said, “Over the past 12 years, Boko Haram has grown into one of the most influential and dominant terrorist groups in the world. Though the group has gained notoriety for its violence and mass kidnappings in Nigeria’s North East, Boko Haram is today a transnational threat that has sustained an insurgency despite both regional and international military counter-terrorism efforts.
“The threat from Boko Haram became more acute following its splintering into three distinct factions between 2012 and 2016, and the past three years have proved the deadliest ever for security forces battling the group. While international actors have long been driven by the view that Boko Haram and its constituent factions would be weakened by the defeat of the Islamic State, this has not come to pass and efforts to defeat the group have fallen short. Boko Haram started as a local Islamic movement when a group of radical preachers infiltrated religious, social and political circles in northeastern Nigeria. Nearly 20 years later, the power that Boko Haram wields at the local level continues to sustain it.’’
Nights marred by terror
Thirteen-year-old Ladi Mante was on holiday in Baga, Borno State, where she lived with her parents when Boko Haram struck in the border town.
From Adamawa State, Mante’s parents relocated to Baga for fishing opportunities. Mante and her siblings were born in Baga. It was the home she knew. But the booming of guns from the insurgents punctured Mante’s innocent childhood.
She said, “My father lost everything to insurgency. It was a traumatic experience from living in our house to living in shanties in the IDP camps. Everybody in the camp depends on food rations from the state government. There is no job for our parents. I used to have nightmares about the attack.’’
According to information obtained from the US Department of Veteran affairs, People who have gone through trauma are more likely to have distressing nightmares after the events.
It stated, “Nightmares that follow trauma often involve the same scary elements that were in the trauma. For example, someone who went through Hurricane Katrina may have dreams about high winds or floods. They may dream about trying to escape the waters or being in a shelter that does not feel safe. A survivor of a hold-up might have nightmares about the robber or about being held at gunpoint. Not all nightmares that occur after trauma are a direct replay of the event. About half of those who have nightmares after trauma have dreams that replay the trauma. People with post-traumatic stress disorder are more likely to have dreams that are exact replays of the event than are survivors without PTSD.’’
Joyfully, Mante now attends rehabilitation classes.
She said, “We laugh and dance in the CFS. We sing old songs and learn new ones like the Mango Tree song. We forget our troubles anytime we are here.’’
When Boko Haram fighters attacked her town at Baga, Kukawa LGA of Borno State, 10-year-old Halimat Adams was preparing breakfast with her mother.
The deafening gun sounds terrified the 10-year-old who fled with her family on foot to Monguno, the nearest village from where they proceeded to Kano State to live with a relative.
“I was preparing breakfast with my mum when Boko Haram came. My brother was on an errand to buy food for our goats when the shootings started. I was scared when I heard the sound of guns. It was in the morning. We waited for him to return and ran on foot to Monguno where we stayed for a day, ‘’ said Halima who is now 16 years.
Now resident at the Stadium IDP camp in Maiduguri, the teenager, who now attends nearby Bulumkutu Primary School, was out of school for three years.
“We stayed in Kano State for two years before returning to Gubio IDP camp in Maiduguri. I did not enroll in school until my family moved again to Stadium IDP camp. It has not been easy for me and my family. An IDP camp can never be home. I miss living in a proper house. I lost friends in Baga that I might not see again. I miss Hauwa and Fatima because they were peaceful.
‘Conflicts affect mental health of affected populations’
Commenting on the development, a mental health advocate, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, Dr Maymunah Kadiri-Yusuf, stated that conflicts often had a devastating impact on the mental health of affected populations.
She said, “Violence-ridden areas are places dominated or plagued by violence or unrest. Conflicts have a devastating impact on the mental health of affected populations. Post-traumatic stress disorder and depression are the most common mental disorders exhibited by both children and adults exposed to or that grow in a violence-ridden area, occurring in up to one third of the population directly exposed.
“However, for children in particular, the detrimental effects of traumatic events are not restricted to specific mental health diagnoses, but include a broad and multifaceted set of developmental outcomes that compromise their general wellness with regards to family and peer relations, as well as school performance and general life satisfaction.’’
The mental health advocate also listed the effects of violence-ridden areas on children.
She added, “Psycho-social manifestations of violence-ridden areas on children include poor family interactions, peer relations, educational outcomes and general life satisfaction. Conflict-related stigma which is widespread in many post-conflict settings may affect children’s ability to negotiate social support and resources, including basic needs, in the post-conflict environment, development of poor coping skills.
For solutions, she suggested programming that places the needs of children at the centre of reconstruction, adding that psycho-social support and counselling should be introduced to support children and adolescents’ in reducing and stabilising their heightened emotions.
The mental health expert noted, “Psychological intervention will also help them deal with the effects it has on sleep and concentration as well as preventing possible future violence character in them. The presence of protective factors including family and community acceptance may also act to buffer the negative effects, thereby reducing the risk of mental disorders and promoting psycho-social functioning.’’
A new lease of life
As part of its humanitarian support in the violence-ridden region, Nguyen noted that the agency had recorded some feats to create a fresh start for children caught in the web of an enduring conflict.
She however explained that there were still children who needed help but were far away from access to humanitarian aids.
Nguyen stated, “Thousands of children have been orphaned while others have dropped out of school. There are thousands of unaccompanied children in the region, and as you know, almost a million children live in in-conducive conditions in IDP camps across the region.
“According to the 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview, 5.1 million children in North-East Nigeria are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The sheer number of children who need immediate support suggests the enormity of the problem and the challenge of funding needed to care for all of them.
“We have a mandate to support children everywhere and we are working hard to attract the funding needed to support more children in North-East Nigeria. Access is another challenge because there are children in locations where humanitarians cannot access due to insecurity. In terms of scale, there are funding
and access constraints linked to the provision of life-saving services to more children who need them.’’