A statement by the UNICEF came ahead of the fifth anniversary of the abduction of some 276 schoolgirls in the country's Northeastern Chibok town, Anadolu news agency reported.
At least 100 of the girls remain in captivity, according to reports.
The agency noted that the figures may not represent the exact picture of the use of child soldiers by the armed groups, especially Boko Haram.
“In addition to these children, 432 children were killed and maimed, 180 were abducted, and 43 girls were sexually abused in north-east Nigeria in 2018,” it added.
The statement announced that the Chibok abduction, closely followed by another mass kidnapping of another 110 girls in Dapchi, is a grim reminder that widespread abductions of children and grave violations of children’s rights continue to take place in the Northeast.
“Children should feel safe at home, in schools and on their playgrounds at all times,” the statement quoted Mohamed Malick Fall, UNICEF representative in Nigeria, as saying.
“We are calling on the parties to the conflict to fulfil their obligations under international law to end violations against children and to stop targeting civilian infrastructure, including schools,” Fall stated.
Since 2012, non-state armed groups in Northeast Nigeria have recruited and used children as combatants and non-combatants, raped and forced girls to marry, and committed other grave violations against children, according to the agency.
It added that some of the girls become pregnant in captivity and give birth without any medical care or attention.