Child Rights Advocates Mark Children's Day by Urging Swift Recovery of Kidnapped Oyo Students

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The ActionAid Nigeria, AAN, on Wednesday called for the immediate rescue of schoolchildren abducted from Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

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The group made the demand as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2026 Children’s Day celebration.

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In a statement signed by its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu, the organisation expressed outrage and concern over the continued captivity of dozens of children and teachers following the attack on the communities on May 15, 2026.

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“ActionAid Nigeria is seized with profound grief, outrage, and alarm over the harrowing reality facing dozens of children and their teachers who remain in captivity following the brutal and coordinated terrorist attack on schools in Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities,” the statement read.

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The organisation said 25 children were still being held captive nearly two weeks after the attack, describing the situation as a tragic reflection of the country’s worsening insecurity.

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“Twenty-five children wait in a forest, kept from their families, their schools, and their hopes. This is more than just a failure to keep them safe; it is a deep moral problem,” Mamedu stated.

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While acknowledging ongoing rescue efforts by security agencies, ActionAid maintained that assurances and promises were no longer enough for traumatised families awaiting the safe return of their children.

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The group commended security operatives involved in the rescue mission but insisted that the Federal Government must deploy all available intelligence, military, diplomatic, and political resources to secure the release of the victims.

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According to the organisation, Children’s Day should represent protection, dignity, and hope for every child, lamenting that many Nigerian children were instead spending the day in captivity.

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“It is shocking that children who went to school looking for an education, one of the most basic rights any child can have, instead faced gunfire and terror. School must be a safe place,” the statement added.

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ActionAid also urged the Oyo State Government to intensify efforts through negotiation, engagement, and rescue operations while ensuring families of the abducted victims receive adequate support and regular updates.

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The organisation further called on the National Assembly and the Oyo State House of Assembly to convene emergency sessions on the worsening security crisis in vulnerable communities and provide resources to strengthen school and community security.

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It also charged security agencies to utilise their full operational capacity to secure the release of all 25 children and seven teachers still in captivity.

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“Nigeria cannot celebrate its children with banners and speeches while many of them are held captive in a forest. Truly celebrating our children means keeping them safe, ensuring their right to go to school, and letting them be free,” the group stated.

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ActionAid reaffirmed its solidarity with the affected families and communities, urging civil society organisations, faith leaders, the media, and Nigerians to continue demanding the safe return of the abducted children.

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“Children of Nigeria deserve to be celebrated, not mourned. They deserve classrooms, not captivity. They deserve a future, and it is the responsibility of the Nigerian state to guarantee it. Bring them home. Now,” the statement added.

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