Children’s Day: Captured School Children Are Not Forgotten

President Bola Tinubu has vowed that Nigerian children abducted in Oyo and Borno will not be forgotten, as he used his Children’s Day message to pledge intensified rescue efforts and stronger school protections.

On Tuesday 27 May 2026, Tinubu said the day should be a celebration of every Nigerian child, but acknowledged that some children and teachers in Oyo and Borno remain in captivity after being seized by criminals.

He said their parents were marking the day with one prayer: "Bring our children home."

"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," he said.

The President said he had ordered security agencies to sustain and intensify intelligence-led rescue operations, with a focus on recovering abducted children safely.

He also directed the strengthening of school protection measures in high-risk areas, including updated vulnerability mapping, closer coordination between state governments and security commands, and faster links between schools and local security units.

Tinubu instructed the Federal Ministry of Education and state governments to deepen the Safe Schools framework, with clear reporting lines, responsibilities and timelines.

He added that every school in vulnerable areas must know who to call and what to do if danger arises.

The President's statement also committed to longer-term support for children who have survived abduction, violence or displacement, including medical care, counselling, education and reintegration support.

Tinubu stressed that protecting children was a shared duty involving parents, teachers, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups and the media.

This year’s Children’s Day theme, "Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child," coincides with Eid-el-Kabir.

Tinubu stressed the government was investing in education, healthcare, nutrition, social protection and digital skills to ensure childhood was a right for all, not a privilege for a few.