By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) Nigeria has called for the suspension of ceremonial celebrations marking this year’s International Children’s Day across the country, insisting that the occasion should instead serve as a solemn period of remembrance, reflection and accountability in light of worsening insecurity and violence against children.

In a press release issued on Wednesday and obtained by News Express, the organisation described the growing wave of kidnappings, banditry, trafficking, violence and insecurity affecting children across Nigeria as a national emergency and a tragic reflection of leadership failure, institutional negligence and what it termed the collapse of government responsibility toward child protection and welfare. The statement, signed by FENRAD Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, was dated May 27, 2026.

FENRAD said the country was witnessing an alarming rise in cases of child abductions and disappearances in states such as Borno, Yobe and Oyo, among others, where children continue to suffer kidnapping, captivity, displacement, trauma, exploitation and denial of access to education, healthcare, security and social welfare.

The organisation argued that it would be morally insensitive and unacceptable for political leaders and government institutions to organise public celebrations and ceremonial activities while hundreds of Nigerian children remain in captivity, forests, criminal hideouts, internally displaced persons camps and vulnerable communities under constant fear of violence and insecurity.

“International Children’s Day should not be reduced to a symbolic occasion filled with fanfare, speeches and political propaganda,” the group stated.

“Rather, it should serve as a national moment of introspection on the worsening plight of Nigerian children who continue to bear the painful consequences of poor governance, insecurity, corruption, impunity, weak institutions and failure of service delivery.”

FENRAD further condemned what it described as the persistent inability of political leaders and security institutions to adequately protect schools, communities and vulnerable children from attacks by terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, traffickers and organised criminal networks operating across different parts of the country.

The organisation also lamented what it described as a growing humanitarian crisis affecting children nationwide, including rising out-of-school statistics, malnutrition, displacement, child labour, abuse and psychological trauma worsened by insecurity and economic hardship.

According to the group, “a nation that cannot guarantee the safety, welfare, dignity and future of its children has failed in its most sacred responsibility to humanity and national development.”

Demands

FENRAD called on the Federal Government, state governments, security agencies and relevant institutions to intensify efforts toward the rescue and safe return of abducted children currently held in captivity across the country.

The organisation also urged authorities to strengthen child protection systems and community security mechanisms to safeguard schools and vulnerable communities.

It further demanded urgent and transparent investigations into incidents of child kidnapping, trafficking, banditry and organised criminal activities in affected states, particularly Borno, Yobe and Oyo.

FENRAD additionally advocated increased budgetary allocation and transparent investment in child welfare, education, healthcare, psychosocial support and social protection services.

The group also called for accountability for public officials and security institutions over failures, negligence and lapses that continue to expose children to danger and insecurity, while urging government to declare a national day of remembrance for victims of child abduction, terrorism, trafficking, violence and institutional neglect.

The organisation appealed to Nigerians, civil society organisations, religious bodies, traditional institutions, development partners and the international community to demand urgent action, accountability and sustained commitment toward protecting Nigerian children and securing their future.

“True leadership is measured not by ceremonial speeches or political optics, but by the ability of government to protect lives, defend human dignity, provide social welfare and guarantee a secure future for the next generation,” the statement added.

Update news