Civil society organisations and activists have criticised the federal government over the continued captivity of 81 Nigerian schoolchildren abducted by terrorists, saying any government unable to protect children has failed in its primary responsibility.
The groups made their position known in a statement issued after the 2026 Children’s Day celebration, lamenting that while the country marked a day meant to honour children, dozens of pupils remained in captivity without urgent rescue action.
According to the statement, 39 primary and secondary school pupils, alongside seven teachers, were abducted in Oyo State, with Oyedokun Olugbade, one of the teachers, reportedly beheaded days later.
The groups also referenced another incident in Borno state, where 42 children were abducted on May 15, 2026, during an attack on Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area.
The groups said: “On Wednesday, May 27, 2026, was Children’s Day in Nigeria, an annual holiday to celebrate Nigeria’s children and reflect on government’s efforts to build a thriving future for the new generation.
“Alas, as we marked this year’s celebration, nothing less than 81 Nigerian school children are languishing in captivity.“This include 39 primary and secondary school pupils alongside seven teachers who were abducted by terrorists right inside their schools in Oyo State. One of the teachers, Mr. Oyedokun Olugbade, was beheaded a few days ago.
“Similarly, another 42 children were abducted on May 15, 2026, by suspected Boko Haram militants during an attack on Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.“It is only right on the occasion of this year’s Children’s Day celebration that we ask President Bola Tinubu: Where are our abducted children? Why have they not been found?“Sadly, since the tragic abduction, Nigeria’s government, both at the federal and state levels, has mostly carried on with business as usual, occasionally offering platitudinous statements of assurance while doing absolutely nothing to rescue our beloved children.
“We say this because we know quite well, from our experience as civil society activists who have been regularly subjected to hostile surveillance, that Nigeria’s government and its security agencies possess the wherewithal to locate anyone within the territory of the nation.
“The question therefore is: why is this state-of-the-art surveillance technology not being deployed to rescue our children?
“Why is President Tinubu unable to deploy the same firepower and reconnaissance capacity that he so effortlessly deployed in December last year to thwart, on behalf of France, a coup against former President Talon of the Republic of Benin?
“Unfortunately, the government has no coherent answer. Just like former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 when the Chibok girls were abducted, President Tinubu is as clueless about what to do to curb the rampaging insecurity afflicting Nigeria.“It is the same nonchalance and lack of concern of the Jonathan years that we see today, seeing as Tinubu, his ministers and National Assembly members had no problem cavorting at their recent party primaries even as over 81 children languish in terrorists’ dens.
“While elections are undeniably important, the safety of the lives of average Nigerians and their welfare are more important. A government unable to guarantee this is a failed government. Such a government has no moral authority to ask citizens to vote for it at the next election.”
They questioned the government’s response to the incidents, asking why advanced surveillance and security capabilities had not been effectively deployed to rescue the abducted children.
The activists accused authorities of displaying what they described as nonchalance in handling the situation, comparing the current security response to past administrations’ failures in addressing mass abductions.
They further argued that the safety and welfare of citizens should take priority over political activities, insisting that government must do more to secure the release of all abducted persons.
The groups called on Nigerians, civil society organisations, youth groups, and labour unions to embark on peaceful nationwide protests demanding the rescue of the children and improved security across the country.
