…Children’s Day in Captivity: Silence Is No Longer Enough — FG Must Rescue Ogbomoso Children Now
By Comrade James Onifade
Yesterday, I deliberately chose to remain silent. I wanted to observe the atmosphere across the country and see how Nigerians would celebrate the 2026 Children’s Day. I hoped to see joy, compassion, urgency, and perhaps a louder national outcry for the innocent children kidnapped in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.
But to my greatest surprise, I was deeply disappointed.
While many celebrated with colourful events, speeches, and social media posts, dozens of children from Ogbomoso remained in captivity, forgotten, abandoned, and trapped in fear alongside their teachers. Their parents marked Children’s Day not with happiness, but with tears, sleepless nights, and unbearable pain.
Yesterday, May 27, 2026, Nigeria claimed to celebrate children — the future of the nation. But what future are we protecting when toddlers and schoolchildren are left in the hands of kidnappers for almost two weeks without rescue?
In Ogbomoso, there was no celebration. Only empty classrooms, broken families, and silence from a nation gradually becoming comfortable with tragedy.
On May 15, armed bandits stormed three schools in Oriire Local Government Area — Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community Grammar School in Esiele, and LA Primary School. About 46 victims, including toddlers, pupils, students, and teachers, were abducted. Reports indicate that one teacher was killed in captivity, while another was allegedly beheaded.
These are not just headlines. These are human lives.
On a day meant to celebrate children, these innocent boys and girls should have been at home with their families. Their teachers should have been with their loved ones. Instead, they remain in the forest with criminals while the country moves on as though nothing happened.
This is heartbreaking. This is unacceptable.
I am angry, and every Nigerian with a conscience should be angry too. How did we become a country where schools are now hunting grounds for bandits? How did we reach a point where children are treated as bargaining tools while leaders continue issuing routine statements?
Governor Seyi Makinde and the Oyo State Government have shown concern through security deployments and rescue coordination efforts. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has also condemned the attack and promised justice.
But the painful truth remains: the children are still missing.
Promises alone cannot comfort traumatized families. Press statements cannot replace urgent action. Every passing hour deepens the suffering of those children and weakens public confidence in government.
The Federal Government has a constitutional responsibility to protect lives, especially the most vulnerable. Rural communities and schools must not be abandoned to criminals. From Chibok to Ogbomoso, Nigeria continues to repeat painful history while citizens lose faith in the nation’s security architecture.
Enough is enough.
What must happen immediately:
1. The Federal Government must treat this as a national emergency. Specialized security and intelligence units should be fully deployed to support rescue efforts.
2. Safe rescue operations must be prioritized urgently. Delays only strengthen criminal networks and prolong the trauma of victims and families.
3. Ungoverned forests and criminal hideouts across the Southwest must be flushed out. Nigerians deserve to live without fear.
4. School safety must become a national priority. Security structures, surveillance systems, and rapid emergency response mechanisms should be introduced across schools nationwide.
To Nigeria’s leaders: the safety of children must never become a seasonal talking point. Leadership is not about speeches or ceremonies. Leadership is about protecting lives.
If children cannot safely go to school and return home, then governance has failed at its most basic responsibility.
To the grieving families in Ogbomoso, your pain is not ignored. Many Nigerians still stand with you in prayers and solidarity. The image of empty desks on Children’s Day should trouble the conscience of every leader in this country until every child and teacher is safely reunited with their families.
To President Tinubu and the Federal Government: this is the moment to act decisively. Nigerians are tired of normalizing evil. Bring these children and their teachers home safely and immediately.
Prayer is important, but prayer without urgent action is not enough.
The time for decisive leadership is now.
Signed:
Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and A Better Judicial System
