yesterday we post pictures, share “Happy Children’s Day” messages, and act like everything is fine.
But 38 children from Oyo State are not celebrating. They’re in a forest somewhere, hungry, scared, and held by bandits.
On "May 15, 2026", armed men stormed 3 schools in Oriire LGA, Oyo State:
They killed a teacher, "Michael Oyedokun", and abducted "at least 45 pupils, students, and teachers". The youngest was "2 years old".
Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed: "7 students from Community Secondary School, 18 pupils and 7 teachers from First Baptist Primary and Nursery School"were taken
It’s been over a week. The bandits have opened talks but refuse to speak to anyone except the governor. Parents are waiting. Toddlers are sleeping on bare ground in the rain.
So tell me - what exactly are we celebrating ?"
Are we celebrating the children who get balloons and cake? Or are we ignoring the ones whose only “celebration” is surviving another night in captivity?
This is not the first time. It won’t be the last if we keep posting good morning messages and moving on. Yorubaland is now being called “the next frontier of mass abduction”.
If Children’s Day means anything, it should mean this:
No child should be afraid to go to school. No mother should be begging for her child’s return on a day meant for joy.
Share this if you agree. Tag the leaders. Let’s stop pretending.
images are AI generated