Tinubu marks Children’s Day with vow to intensify rescue efforts for abducted pupils

From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to protect the nation’s children as he marked Children’s Day on Wednesday, pledging sustained and intensified security operations to recover pupils and teachers held captive in parts of the country.

In a statement he personally signed for this year’s Children’s Day, which coincides with the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, Tinubu said the theme, “Future Now: Promoting Inclusion for Every Nigerian Child,” underscores the urgency of protecting every child’s right to safety, education and dignity.

“As we mark this special day, which coincides with Eid-el-Kabir, some Nigerian children and their teachers in Oyo and Borno should be with their families, but are being held captive by criminals,” the president said. “To those children, their parents, and their teachers, I say this as a father and your President: you are not forgotten. You are not abandoned.”

Tinubu said he had directed all relevant security agencies to “sustain and intensify coordinated rescue operations” for abducted children and other vulnerable citizens, stressing that missions must be intelligence-led, carefully executed and focused on safe recovery.

He also ordered strengthened school protection measures in high-risk areas, including updated vulnerability mapping, closer coordination between state governments and security commands, rapid-response links between schools and local security units, and enhanced community-based early warning systems.

The president called for deeper implementation of the Safe Schools framework by the Federal Ministry of Education and state governments, with “clear reporting, clear responsibility and clear timelines,” so that every school in a vulnerable area knows who to call and how to protect children when danger is identified.

Tinubu further said the government would expand support for children who survive abduction, violence or displacement, making reintegration, medical care, counselling and continued education central to post‑rescue efforts. “Rescue is not the end of the government’s duty. A child who returns from trauma must return to care, medical attention, counselling, education and dignity,” he said.

The president also appealed to communities to share responsibility for child protection, naming parents, teachers, traditional and religious leaders, youth groups, transport unions, local vigilantes and the media as critical partners. “When a community sees strange movement around a school and keeps quiet, a child is placed at risk,” he warned.

Tinubu reiterated his administration’s broader commitments to ensure every child can “learn safely, grow in good health, eat well, access opportunity and dream without fear”, citing investments in education, health care, nutrition, social protection, digital skills and safer communities.