I came across a devastating news on my phone, a recent attack on three Nigerian schools by bandits resulting in the kidnapping of 39 students that are all children and 7 teachers, causing fear in the rural communities.
As a mother, I cannot begin to imagine the level of pain every parents of those abducted children are going through. Is it the uncertainty of them feeding well? Or the constant fear of them being alive? Knowing fully well their abductors are cold murderers.
The day began like any ordinary day before turning into a devastating and traumatic one, with armed men on motorcycles attacking three different schools on Friday, 15 May 2026, simultaneously invading the learning centers; Community High School and Primary School in Ahoro-Esinele, alongside Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Ogbomoso, firing indiscriminately.
In the chaos, the Principal, Mrs Alamu FR, 7 teachers, 39 students, including some as young as two years old were dragged into the forest. Can you imagine that? A two-year-old still needs help with bathing, and they might cry when they can’t see their mother nearby. They often fall asleep in someone’s arms, completely unaware of such things as violence, terrorism, death, or captivity. Unfortunately, somewhere in this country right now, a tiny child is sleeping in a bush among armed strangers, feeling cold, hungry, scared, and confused, probably crying for home. When they cry, who is holding them and assuring them of their safety? Who is cleaning them? And when they wake up scared, who is there to comfort them? Children are meant to grow in a peaceful, loving, and warm environments, but it is disheartening that the current state of the nation says other wise.
Beyond these numbers and viral videos, are families facing overwhelming grief and anxiety. Parents are now keeping children home, no longer trusting that schools are safe. Each abducted child represents a loss of potential, and every child kept away due to fear is a loss to our communities and the Nations future as a whole.
As distressed parents and citizens demand government action and protests occur, the national conversation focuses on better protecting vulnerable and rural areas. The headlines will fade but, trauma stays. The Hasken Rayuwa Foundation believes education is a gift, and every child deserves a safe learning environment. In dark times, we are reminded of Christ’s light and are called to advocate for the voiceless, comfort the broken hearted, and support our communities.
You can join us by praying for the abducted children, grieving families, and traumatized educators, by raising awareness about rural school safety and partnering with us to bring hope and stability to vulnerable areas. We must prevent fear from destroying these children’s futures. Together, we can be the light that overcomes darkness.
