Thousands of Nigerian children remain undiagnosed with HIV, experts warn
via Punch Nigeria2 min read
Health experts and development partners have expressed concern that thousands of children in Nigeria are still undiagnosed and untreated for HIV. This issue was highlighted at the 2026 Paediatric Breakthrough Partnership Linking and Learning Meeting in Abuja, hosted by the Society for Family Health in collaboration with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Yusuf Dayyabu, representing the Chief Executive Officer of the Society for Family Health, stated that many children are being missed, infants are not diagnosed early enough, and opportunities to prevent transmission are lost. Data from 2023 shows over 285,000 children, adolescents, and pregnant and breastfeeding women received HIV services, with 2,879 individuals identified and enrolled in care. However, Nigeria has one of the highest global burdens of paediatric HIV, with approximately 260,000 children aged 0–14 living with the virus. Only about 45 percent of HIV-positive children receive antiretroviral therapy, a lower rate than adults. Dr. Adebobola Bashorun, National Coordinator of the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and STIs Control Programme, described paediatric HIV as a public health and moral concern, noting that major gaps remain in reaching HIV-positive pregnant women, preventing loss to follow-up for HIV-exposed infants, and diagnosing children in the community. Dr. Aisha Dadi, Country Lead of the Paediatric Breakthrough Partnership, explained that children are harder to identify and often fall through
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Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu, announced that nationwide anti-crime operations conducted between June 9 and June 21, 2026, led to the arrest of 1,198 suspects for various offenses. These arrests included 151 for murder and culpable homicide, 117 for armed robbery, 151 for kidnapping, and 104 suspected cultists, with an additional 169 persons arrested for unlawful possession of firearms. The operations also resulted in the rescue of 166 kidnap victims, and the recovery of 166 assorted firearms, 1,475 rounds of ammunition, and 47 stolen vehicles. Disu highlighted the successful rescue of abducted students and teachers in Oyo State as an example of effective joint security operations, emphasizing collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force, the Armed Forces of Nigeria, other security agencies, and the public. He urged senior officers to maintain vigilance and adopt dynamic, threat-informed strategies, stressing that performance would be evaluated by security outcomes rather than the number of operations. Disu also called on citizens to continue sharing actionable information with law enforcement.
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