Law Underway To Ban Recruitment Of Underage Into Military Services

The Senate has passed for second reading the Armed Forces (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill, 2025, seeking to prohibit the recruitment of persons under 18 years into the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Sponsored by Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua (Katsina Central), the bill aligns Nigeria’s Child Rights Act (2003), the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

Yar’Adua said the reform was “long overdue,” noting that the existing Armed Forces Act, 2004, derived from a military decree, no longer reflects democratic governance or modern security realities.

He added that the bill would “rebuild the military’s legal foundation to reflect justice, professionalism, and respect for human rights.”

The proposed law also introduces key reforms, including an expanded definition of military offences, proportionate punishments, and stronger safeguards for courts-martial independence by criminalising interference from superior officers.