From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has said the April 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State, exposed Boko Haram’s deliberate use of sexual violence, forced marriage and sexual enslavement as weapons of terror.
The UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Touré, said the crimes were part of a deliberate strategy to intimidate, punish and control victims and their communities, warning that survivors risked further trauma when emergency responders prioritised evidence gathering over their safety and dignity.
Touré spoke in Abuja at the opening of the Second Expert Group Meeting on the Development of a Toolkit for First Emergency Responders in Cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Linked to Terrorism.
“The abductions, forced marriages and sexual enslavement associated with the insurgency in the North-East demonstrated that such crimes were not isolated incidents but part of a deliberate method of terror,” he said.
He noted that communities had been targeted on the basis of their faith, ethnicity or political identity, stressing that terrorism-related sexual violence was a global challenge that transcended religious, ideological and organisational boundaries.
“It is not confined to one religion, ideology or terrorist organisation. That is precisely why this toolkit must draw on experiences from different contexts while remaining firmly anchored in the rights, safety and dignity of those affected.
“The harm does not end when an attack is over. Its consequences can endure for years, compounded by stigma, displacement and barriers separating survivors from the care and justice they deserve,” he said.
Touré said the treatment survivors received at their first point of contact could determine whether they trusted public institutions and sought medical care, protection and justice.
He stressed that a response that respected survivors’ dignity, protected their confidentiality and facilitated appropriate referrals would help build trust and reduce the risk of further harm.
While acknowledging the importance of documentation and evidence preservation in investigations and prosecutions, he insisted that survivors’ welfare must remain the first priority.
“However, the order of priorities must never be in doubt: the survivor’s safety comes first; the case file comes second.
“Evidence gathered at the expense of a survivor’s safety and dignity is not the kind of evidence we should seek,” he said.
The UNODC representative acknowledged that first responders often operated during or immediately after terrorist attacks, amid insecurity, mass casualties and resource shortages. Such conditions, he said, could lead to signs of sexual violence being overlooked, evidence being destroyed and survivors becoming dispersed.
He added that some responders lacked the equipment, evidence-packaging materials and technical expertise required to preserve evidence properly.
According to him, the proposed toolkit would provide practical guidance on protecting survivors while preserving information that could support investigations and prosecutions.
However, he said its effectiveness would depend on practitioners contributing their experiences to ensure that its recommendations reflected the realities of emergency operations.
Touré cited United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2331 of 2016 and 2467 of 2019 as international frameworks addressing terrorist groups’ use of sexual violence and trafficking, while promoting survivor-centred responses.
“A resolution alone does not reach a survivor. What matters is whether its principles translate into practical action and whether countries can adapt and implement them within their own national systems,” he said.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Adamu Laka, said sexual and gender-based violence left survivors with lasting physical injuries, psychological distress, stigma and barriers to rebuilding their lives.
He said families and communities also suffered the consequences, making the quality of the initial emergency response critical to survivors’ recovery.
“For anyone who has experienced sexual violence, the manner in which assistance is first offered can influence their willingness to seek further care, their confidence in public institutions and their path towards recovery,” he said.
Ribadu noted that first responders could be the first to identify signs of sexual violence, receive disclosures from survivors and connect them with medical care or protection services, despite working under intense pressure and with limited resources.
He urged responders to ensure that every intervention protected survivors from further harm, with urgent medical care, privacy, dignity and appropriate referrals guiding their initial contact with victims.
“Responders must also understand the limits of their responsibilities and know when specialist assistance is required,” he said.
Touré reaffirmed UNODC’s commitment to supporting the development of the toolkit and ensuring that it reached first responders in Nigeria and other countries grappling with terrorism.
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