Post by Voices Against Violence (VAV) Africa

As Nigeria commemorated Children’s Day today with colourful celebrations and public speeches, hundreds of children across the country remain trapped in fear, displacement, captivity, or trauma caused by persistent school abductions and violent insecurity. The recent abduction of children and teachers in Oyo State once again exposes the deepening collapse of child protection and school safety systems in Nigeria. From Chibok to Kankara, Kuriga to Oyo, schools are increasingly transforming from centres of learning into crime scenes. Beyond the immediate horror, these attacks are destroying educational access, worsening the out-of-school children crisis, traumatizing survivors, and forcing parents to choose between education and survival. Despite constitutional guarantees, child protection laws, and repeated governmental promises, state responses remain largely reactive, inconsistent, and inadequate. Read more here: 👇