Children Under Siege: How Insecurity Is Turning Nigerian Students Into Endangered Species

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 As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the 2026 Children’s Day today, the condition of many Nigerian children presents a grim picture of fear, deprivation, danger, kidnapping, and untold hardship. 

For thousands of schoolchildren across the country, classrooms that should symbolise hope, learning, and safety have increasingly become zones of terror. From the infamous abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 to the latest attack on a secondary school in Oyo State, insecurity has continued to cast a dark shadow over the future of Nigerian children. 

Nigeria has recorded dozens of school kidnappings since the April 14, 2014 abduction of over 200 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, by Boko Haram insurgents. According to security reports and available data, more than 1,500 students have been abducted from schools across Nigeria since then. 

Since late 2020 alone, at least 10 major school abduction incidents involving over 670 children have been reported in states such as Kaduna, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Borno, Oyo, and others. 

One of the most shocking incidents occurred on December 11, 2020, when armed men riding motorcycles invaded Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State, abducting 344 boys while hundreds of others fled into nearby forests for safety. 

On February 26, 2021, bandits stormed Government Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara State, and abducted 279 female students in the dead of the night. Although the students were later released, the incident further deepened fears over the vulnerability of schools nationwide. 

Again, on March 7, 2024, armed bandits attacked the Local Government Education Authority School in Kuriga, Kaduna State, abducting 287 students and staff members. Though many of the victims were later rescued through military operations, the trauma of the attack remains indelible. 

The latest tragedy occurred on May 19, 2026, when gunmen abducted 39 students and seven teachers of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinle, in Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State. One of the abducted teachers, Mr. Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly killed by the captors, with indications that he may have been beheaded in the presence of students still held captive. 

In an emotional video that later circulated online, the visibly distressed principal of the school, Mrs. Rachael Alamu, pleaded passionately for help. 

“We were attacked around 9:30 a.m. by armed men and many of us, including staff and students, were abducted. We appeal to the Federal Government, the Oyo State Government, CAN, and all well-meaning Nigerians to come to our aid and ensure our safe release,” she cried. 

Similarly, in late 2025, over 300 students and teachers were reportedly kidnapped from a Catholic school in Niger State, although many were later released or escaped. 

Despite government assurances, security analysts insist that school abductions remain an ongoing threat spreading steadily across the country, including regions once considered relatively safe. 

Speaking on the disturbing trend, an educationist, Dr. Olufemi Mosaku-Johnson, lamented that while children in other countries celebrate Children’s Day with joy and excitement, Nigerian children are marking the day under the heavy burden of fear and uncertainty. 

“Every May 27, we remind ourselves that every Nigerian child deserves to laugh without fear, learn without interruption, and dream without limits,” he said. 

“To every child who has been abducted, every parent waiting anxiously for a child’s return, and every community living in fear, we must understand that every child is our collective responsibility.” 

According to him, each attack on a school represents more than just a disruption of education. 

“When a child is abducted on the way to school, we do not merely lose a day of learning. We steal confidence, destroy trust in the state, and mortgage the future of the nation,” he said. 

Mosaku-Johnson stressed that protecting children must go beyond government rhetoric, insisting that a coordinated, whole-of-society approach is urgently needed. 

“The government and security agencies cannot be everywhere at once. Intelligence gathering and rapid response must take priority. No child should spend weeks or months in captivity,” he stated. 

He called for the full implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative through improved community participation, perimeter fencing, surveillance systems, and early warning mechanisms in vulnerable schools. 

He also demanded swift prosecution of perpetrators, warning that impunity continues to embolden criminal groups. 

“Perpetrators of these heinous crimes must face transparent justice. Silence and delayed action only encourage more attacks,” he added. 

Mosaku-Johnson further urged citizens to become more vigilant and proactive. 

“Protecting children is not an act of snitching; it is patriotism. Communities must report suspicious activities. Parents and schools must work together to establish safety protocols and emergency communication systems,” he said. 

He also advocated psychosocial support for traumatised children rescued from captivity, noting that healing remains a crucial part of security and recovery. 

“As we celebrate Children’s Day this year, let us turn grief into determination. Let us resolve that no Nigerian child will be missing from school because of fear by this time next year,” he appealed. 

Also speaking, public analyst and commentator Victor Egemba decried what he described as the desecration of schools into places of bloodshed and fear. 

“For generations, schools were sacred spaces where children were nurtured and protected. Today, in many parts of Nigeria, that sacredness has been violated,” he said. 

According to him, millions of Nigerian children now go to school burdened by anxiety instead of hope. 

“Parents send children to school praying they return alive. Teachers educate under the shadow of violence, while many students have abandoned learning altogether because fear has become stronger than ambition,” Egemba lamented. 

He observed that the crisis extends beyond kidnapping to include poor infrastructure, lack of security personnel, absence of emergency response systems, displacement by violence, child labour, and rising poverty. 

“The situation reflects years of neglect, weak security architecture, poor intelligence gathering, and inadequate investment in education,” he said. 

Egemba accused governments at different levels of failing to adequately secure vulnerable schools, implement the National Safe Schools Initiative effectively, recruit sufficient security personnel, and provide trauma care for victims. 

He called for urgent and coordinated national action, including intelligence-driven school security, deployment of surveillance technology, stronger collaboration between communities and security agencies, and swift prosecution of criminal networks. 

He also urged state governments to prioritise school security in their budgets, recruit trained school safety officers and counsellors, provide secure transportation where necessary, and improve learning infrastructure. 

According to him, schools themselves must also strengthen emergency preparedness plans, improve communication with parents and security agencies, and provide emotional support for traumatised students. 

“Communities, religious institutions, traditional rulers, parents, and civil society groups all have vital roles to play in protecting schools and demanding accountability from leaders,” he added. 

Egemba maintained that until every Nigerian child can walk safely into a classroom and return home unharmed, the country’s nation-building efforts would remain incomplete. 

As Nigeria marks another Children’s Day celebration, the growing insecurity confronting schoolchildren remains a painful reminder that beyond speeches and ceremonies, the true measure of national progress lies in the ability of a nation to protect its children and secure their future.