Child Protection Advocates Condemn Violence Against Educational Institutions on Children's Day

Nigeria's future is being jeopardized due to the ongoing attacks on schools and the kidnapping of children by terrorists, the Christian Association of Nigeria warned, as teachers are increasingly working under the threat of violence and abduction, according to CAN President Daniel Okoh.

n

President Bola Tinubu has pledged to rescue and integrate abducted children, assuring Nigerians that his administration has intensified rescue operations, strengthened school protection, and provided comprehensive care for survivors, in a statement marking Children's Day.

n

Many Nigerian families are celebrating Children's Day with fear, hardship, and uncertainty over the lives of their children, with the Christian body stating that a country where parents fear sending their children to school and teachers are uncertain about returning safely from work cannot claim to be protecting its future.

n

The Oyo school abductions serve as a painful reminder that children and schools are becoming increasingly vulnerable in communities battling insecurity, with CAN deeply troubled by the fate of children still in captivity and the anguish their families endure daily.

n

No child should experience terror, violence, or uncertainty in a place meant for learning, protection, and hope, according to CAN, which also noted that the growing danger facing teachers has become equally disturbing, with many educators sharing the same fear and uncertainty as the children in their care.

n

The image of frightened teachers standing helplessly beside terrified children in the hands of criminals should trouble the nation's conscience and stir urgent action from those responsible for securing lives and communities, CAN stated.

n

Repeated attacks on schools are disrupting education and eroding public confidence in the state's ability to protect children and secure the future of the next generation, with millions of Nigerian children facing hunger, poverty, abuse, trafficking, child labor, and poor access to quality education and healthcare.

n

For many young Nigerians, childhood is being replaced by hardship, fear, and survival, according to Archbishop Okoh, who emphasized that the situation is troubling.

n

President Tinubu promised to intensify rescue operations, strengthen school protections, and provide comprehensive care for survivors, telling children in captivity that the government has not abandoned or forgotten them, with directives issued to security agencies for their safe rescue.

n

As a father and president, Tinubu assured the children that they are not forgotten, and the government will continue to work until children taken from their homes, schools, and communities are returned safely, and those who profit from this cruelty are brought to justice.

n

The president declared that the crisis is both a moral failure and an urgent security priority, framing it with the Children's Day theme, "Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child", and acknowledging the national pain of families grieving and despondent over their abducted children.

n

Tinubu ordered all relevant security agencies to sustain and intensify coordinated rescue operations, with a focus on recovering children safely, and also directed urgent improvements in school protection across high-risk areas.

n

The president instructed the federal ministry of education to deepen the implementation of the Safe Schools framework, with clear reporting, responsibility, and timelines, emphasizing 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.

n

Rescue is only the beginning of the state's duty, according to Tinubu, who emphasized that a child who returns from trauma must receive care, medical attention, counseling, education, and dignity, and ordered ministries and agencies to ensure recovered children receive proper reintegration support.

n

The president warned that protecting children cannot be left to the government alone, stating that parents, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders, community leaders, youth groups, transport unions, local vigilantes, and the media have vital roles to play in prevention and response.

n

When a community ignores warning signs or strange movements around a school, a child is placed at risk, and families suffer, Tinubu said, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in protecting children.

n

The president painted a forward-looking agenda, committing his administration to a Nigeria where every child can learn safely, grow in good health, eat well, access opportunity, and dream without fear, investing in education, healthcare, nutrition, social protection, digital skills, and safer communities.

n

Tinubu assured the children that their dreams, safety, education, and future matter to the government and the nation, and will be safeguarded, emphasizing that childhood should not be a privilege reserved for a few.