President Bola Tinubu has assured abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo and Borno states that they have not been forgotten, pledging that his administration will intensify efforts to secure their safe return.
In a personally signed Children’s Day message dated May 27, 2026, President Bola Tinubu acknowledged the pain of affected families and vowed that government would continue working until all abducted children are safely reunited with their loved ones.
The President said the Children’s Day celebration, which coincided with the Eid-el-Kabir festivities, was a painful reminder for families whose children remain in captivity.
“As we mark this special day, some Nigerian children and their teachers in Oyo and Borno should be with their families, but are being held captive by criminals. 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.
Tinubu also assured grieving families that the government would not treat their pain as mere ceremony, stressing that security agencies have been directed to intensify intelligence-led rescue operations.
According to him, all relevant security agencies have been ordered to strengthen coordinated efforts to secure the safe recovery of abducted children and other vulnerable citizens across the country.
The President further disclosed plans to strengthen school protection measures in high-risk areas through updated school vulnerability mapping, improved coordination between state governments and security agencies, rapid response systems, and stronger community-based early warning networks.
He said the Federal Ministry of Education, working with state governments, would deepen the implementation of the Safe Schools framework to improve emergency preparedness in vulnerable communities.
Tinubu also promised better rehabilitation and reintegration support for children rescued from abduction, violence, and displacement.
He said rescued children would receive proper care, including medical attention, counselling, education, and dignity, noting that rescue alone was not enough.
The President called on parents, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth groups, and local communities to work closely with security agencies to protect schools and children.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to ensuring every Nigerian child has access to education, healthcare, nutrition, safety, and opportunities for a better future.
The assurance comes amid growing concern over recent attacks on schools in Oyo and Borno states.
In Oyo State, gunmen reportedly attacked a secondary school in Ahoro-Esinle on May 15, abducting a principal, teachers, and several pupils, while one teacher was killed.
A similar attack was reported in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, where pupils were abducted from schools by armed bandits.
The incidents have drawn condemnation from the Nigeria Union of Teachers, which described the attacks as barbaric and warned that continued assaults on schools could disrupt academic activities nationwide.
