Civil society activists and labour leaders have launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the abduction of dozens of schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo and Borno states, accusing the government of indifference and demanding nationwide protests.
In a joint statement issued to mark Children’s Day, Nigerian rapper and activist Falz, alongside labour and civil society leaders, questioned the government’s response to a growing wave of insecurity affecting schools and rural communities.
The coalition said 39 schoolchildren and seven teachers were abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State after gunmen attacked Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esinele; and L.A. Primary School, Ahoro-Esinele.
The statement also revealed that one of the abducted teachers, identified as Mr. Oyedokun Olugbade, was beheaded days after the kidnapping.
The activists further referenced another attack in Borno State, where suspected Boko Haram insurgents allegedly abducted 42 pupils during an assault on Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area on May 15, 2026.
“It is only right that on the occasion of Children’s Day, we ask President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: Where are the abducted children of Ahoro Esinle of Oyo State and Askira-Uba LGA of Borno State?” the statement read.
The coalition accused both federal and state governments of carrying on “business as usual” while dozens of children and teachers remain in captivity.
“Sadly, since the tragic abduction, Nigeria’s government, both at the Federal and State levels, has mostly carried on with business as usual, occasionally offering platitudinous statements of assurance while doing absolutely nothing to rescue our beloved children,” the statement said.
The signatories argued that Nigerian security agencies possess the surveillance and intelligence capabilities needed to track the abductors but have failed to deploy them effectively.
“The question, therefore, is: why is this not being deployed to rescue our children?” the statement continued.
The group also drew comparisons with the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls abduction under former President Goodluck Jonathan, accusing the Tinubu administration of repeating what it described as years of official complacency and inertia.
“Just like former President Jonathan in 2014 when the Chibok girls were abducted, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is as clueless about what to do to curb the rampaging insecurity afflicting Nigeria,” the coalition stated.
The activists further criticised political leaders for prioritising party activities and elections while insecurity worsens across the country.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his ministers, and National Assembly members had no problem cavorting at their recent party primaries even as over 81 children languish in a terrorist den,” the statement added.
The coalition warned that any government unable to guarantee citizens’ safety risks losing its moral legitimacy.
“A government unable to guarantee this is a failed government. Such a government has no moral authority to ask citizens to vote it at the next election,” the statement said.
The statement concluded with a call for peaceful nationwide protests, urging labour unions, youth groups and civil society organisations to mobilise against insecurity and pressure the government to secure the release of all abducted Nigerians.
Among the signatories were Falz; Hassan Taiwo Soweto of the #EndBadGovernance Movement; Mike Igaga of the Moses Oisakede Leadership Foundation; Yusha’u Sani Yankuzo of the Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement; and Rufus Olusesan of the Precision, Electrical and Related Equipment Senior Staff Association.
Separately, Socialist Labour also called on organised labour, particularly the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), to begin sustained peaceful protests over the kidnappings and the killing of mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun.
In a statement signed by its General Secretary, Comrade Biodun Olamosu, the group condemned what it described as the “criminal neglect” of workers, students and poor Nigerians by the country’s political elite.
“It is unacceptable that teachers, farmers, workers, students, and communities now live daily in fear while government officials continue to recycle empty promises and propaganda,” Socialist Labour said.
The organisation argued that repeated school abductions and attacks on workers expose deep failures in Nigeria’s security architecture despite repeated government assurances.
The group also urged labour unions to move beyond issuing statements and develop concrete programmes to guarantee safety in schools and workplaces.
“The blood of workers must not continue to water the ground while politicians live comfortably under state protection,” the statement added.
Socialist Labour pledged to participate in any peaceful nationwide action organised by labour unions and civil society groups to demand improved security and the release of abducted victims.
The growing pressure on the Nigeria Union of Teachers also raises broader questions about organised labour’s willingness to directly confront the government over escalating insecurity.
Critics argue that if teachers’ unions do not aggressively mobilise after the abduction and killing of their members, attacks on schools could become increasingly normalised, leaving both educators and students even more vulnerable.
