Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Children’s Day celebrations across Nigeria on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, were overshadowed by the grim reality that dozens of schoolchildren and their teachers were still being held captive by armed bandits, casting a sombre mood over a festival that coincided with Eid‑el‑Kabir. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a personally signed statement to mark the 2026 National Children’s Day, acknowledged the national pain and gave a firm pledge that his administration would not abandon the abducted victims. “As we mark this special day, which coincides with Eid‑el‑Kabir, some Nigerian children and their teachers in Oyo and Borno should be with their families, but are being held captive by criminals. Some children have been forced into fear. Some parents cannot join today’s celebration because their hearts are set on one prayer: ‘Bring our children home,’” the President said. Addressing the captives directly, he declared: “To those children, their parents, and their teachers, I say this as a father and your President: you are not forgotten. You are not abandoned.”
The President’s message came almost two weeks after a devastating attack on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where armed gunmen on motorcycles invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School; and L.A. Primary School, Esiele, abducting scores of pupils and teachers. The attack, which occurred around 9.30 am on 15 May 2026, left an assistant headmaster, Joel Adesiyan, dead, and a commercial motorcyclist killed. A mathematics teacher, Michael Oyedokun, was later beheaded by his captors in a viral video that sparked nationwide outrage. At least 40 pupils were abducted in the Oyo attack alone, while in Borno State, a separate assault on schools in Askira‑Uba and Chibok Local Government Areas between 13 May and 14 May resulted in the kidnapping of 42 children and teachers. Since then, families have been living in anguish, and security forces have been engaged in an intensive search‑and‑rescue operation.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, who also marked the dual celebration, used the platform to console grieving families and reaffirm the state government’s commitment to securing the release of the abductees. Speaking at his Ikolaba residence in Ibadan while receiving Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal and Muslim faithful for Eid‑el‑Kabir homage, Makinde said: “We are working round the clock to ensure that the children are reunited with their families.” He added, “So, I also use this opportunity to say to those that are in despair right now, that God Almighty will meet them at their point of need.” On his official X handle earlier that morning, the governor wrote: “As we mark this year’s Eid and Children’s Day, our thoughts are with every family awaiting the return of their loved ones, and with security agencies working to keep our communities safe. We are working to ensure the safe return of those who were kidnapped in Oriire LGA. May this holy season fill our State with peace.”
The abduction crisis has placed intense pressure on both federal and state authorities. Sources close to the negotiation process have revealed that the kidnappers have opened communication channels with the Oyo State Government and are demanding a ransom, though the exact amount has been kept a closely guarded secret to avoid jeopardising the victims’ lives. Security agencies have deployed significant assets to the region, including a police helicopter on standby and military jets conducting daily sorties over the forested areas of the Old Oyo National Park, where the abductors are believed to be hiding. A multi‑agency coordination team involving the Oyo State Government, the Nigeria Police Force, the military and the Department of State Services is leading the rescue efforts. The Oyo State Police Command has repeatedly debunked rumours of a rescue, confirming as recently as 22 May that the victims were still in captivity. Despite the overwhelming force, the terrain and the use of children as human shields have complicated direct military intervention.
In his Children’s Day statement, President Tinubu did not mince words. He disclosed that he had directed all relevant security agencies to “sustain and intensify coordinated rescue operations for abducted children and other vulnerable citizens across the country,” stressing that the operations must be “intelligence‑led, carefully executed and focused on the safe recovery of our children.” He also ordered the urgent strengthening of school protection measures in high‑risk areas, including updated vulnerability mapping, closer coordination between state governments and security commands, rapid‑response links between schools and local security units, and stronger community‑based early warning systems. “The Federal Ministry of Education, working with state governments, is to deepen the implementation of the Safe Schools framework with clear reporting, clear responsibility and clear timelines,” the President said, adding that every school in a vulnerable area “must know who to call, what to do, where to move, and how to protect children when danger is identified.”
President Tinubu also emphasised that rescue is only the beginning of the state’s duty. “A child who returns from trauma must return to care, medical attention, counselling, education and dignity,” he said, ordering relevant ministries to ensure that recovered children receive “proper reintegration support, not temporary attention.” He called on parents, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, transport unions, local vigilantes and the media to collaborate with security forces, warning that “when a community sees strange movement around a school and keeps quiet, a child is placed at risk.”
The 2026 Children’s Day theme, “Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child,” provided the backdrop for the President’s message. He celebrated children who are excelling in school, learning trades, living with disabilities yet pressing forward with courage, and those who have lost much but not hope. However, the spectre of the abducted children in Oyo and Borno hung heavily over the celebrations. As Muslim worshippers gathered at the Agodi Eid praying ground in Ibadan, special prayers were offered for the safe return of the captives. The families, for whom this Children’s Day brought little joy, continue to wait, their hopes pinned on the promises made by their leaders and the relentless efforts of the security forces.
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