Eighty-one pupils remain captive in the hands of extremists, prompting outrage from civil society groups towards the government.

Civil society organisations and activists have strongly denounced the Federal Government for its inability to rescue 81 Nigerian schoolchildren who remain captive after being abducted by terrorists, arguing that a government that fails to protect its children has neglected its fundamental duty.

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The condemnation came in a statement issued after the 2026 Children’s Day celebration, which took place on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, a day meant to honour Nigeria's children and assess the government's efforts to secure their future, yet dozens of pupils remain in captivity with little indication of urgent government action to secure their release.

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The groups highlighted that 39 primary and secondary school pupils, along with seven teachers, were abducted by terrorists from their schools in Oyo State, and one of the teachers, Mr. Oyedokun Olugbade, was beheaded a few days ago.

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In a separate incident, 42 children were abducted by suspected Boko Haram militants on May 15, 2026, during an attack on Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

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The groups posed a direct question to President Bola Tinubu, asking where the abducted children are and why they have not been found, given the government's inaction in rescuing them.

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According to the groups, the government has mostly continued with business as usual, offering occasional statements of assurance without taking concrete actions to rescue the children, despite possessing state-of-the-art surveillance technology that could be used to locate them.

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The question remains as to why President Tinubu has not deployed the same level of firepower and reconnaissance capacity that he used in December last year to thwart a coup against former President Talon of the Republic of Benin to rescue the children.

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The government's lack of a coherent answer to this question has drawn comparisons to the response of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 when the Chibok girls were abducted, with President Tinubu appearing equally clueless about how to address the insecurity plaguing Nigeria.

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The groups noted that President Tinubu, his ministers, and National Assembly members have shown a lack of concern, having recently participated in party primaries without regard for the fact that over 81 children are still being held by terrorists.

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The groups argued that a government that cannot guarantee the safety and welfare of its citizens is a failed government, and as such, has no moral authority to ask citizens to vote for it in the next election.

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The groups called on Nigerians, organised labour, youths, and civil society organisations to participate in peaceful nationwide protests to demand the rescue of all abducted Nigerians and improved security across the country.

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A statement to this effect was jointly issued by several individuals, including rapper and activist Falz, Hassan Soweto, Mike Igaga, Moses Oisakede, Yusha’u Yankuzo, Rufus Olusesan, Segun Oladunni, and Jonathan Ugbal, among others.

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Other signatories to the statement included Richard Inoyo, Salako Kayode, Omole Ibukun, Adaramoye Michael, Oluwaseyi A. Akinde, Abdullah Bilal, Daniel Akande, and Hauwa Mustapha, representing various organisations and movements.