By AFPMore by this AuthorLAGOSAn "alarming" number of children, most of them girls, have been used by Boko Haram as suicide bombers in the first months of 2017, Unicef said Wednesday. Experts said the number of children used in suicide attacks by Boko Haram surged to 27 in the first quarter of this year, compared to nine over the same period in 2016. DETENTIONIn a separate statement, Unicef said it was concerned that children were being held by the Nigerian military for alleged association with Boko Haram militants. Boko Haram has been largely weakened since Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, but the Lake Chad region remains unstable with some areas still completely inaccessible. The Boko Haram conflict has killed more than 20,000 people since 2009 and displaced more than 2.6 million from their homes.

Source: Daily Nation April 12, 2017 03:45 UTC