• Atiku slams Tinubu govt, says ransom now in Nigerians’ budget
• Stakeholders seek stronger global action against child abduction

A Coalition of civil society organisations has disclosed that no fewer than 19,980 persons have been killed, while 12,362 others were abducted across Nigeria since Bola Tinubu assumed office as President on May 29, 2023.
  
Also, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticised the Tinubu-led administration, saying kidnappings and violent attacks had become so rampant that many Nigerians now “budget for ransom payments the same way they budget for school fees or rent.”
 
He also slammed the administration’s attempt to justify Nigeria’s growing debt burden despite worsening economic hardship and insecurity across the country.
 
Meanwhile, stakeholders have called for stronger collaboration among governments, schools, security agencies, and international organisations to protect children from abduction, trafficking and abuse across borders.
 
The call was made at a Children’s Day event organised in Lagos by the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) with the theme, ‘Safe Schools, Secure Borders: International Cooperation Against Child Abduction’.
 
The coalition of CSOs, in a joint statement issued yesterday to commemorate the Ninth National Day of Mourning with the theme ‘Nigerian Lives Matter’ and signed by 52 organisations, cited data collated frommassattrocities.org that at least 1,486 security personnel were also killed in active duty during the period.
 
The CSOs include Global Rights, BudgIT, Centre for Social Justice, Centre for Transparency Advocacy (Centre LSD), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Citizens Advocacy for Social & Economic Rights (CASER), Clean Technology Hub, and CLEEN Foundation.
 
According to the report, at least 865 students have been abducted from schools across the country since 2023, while thousands of children remain displaced or out of classrooms, worsening Nigeria’s out-of-school children crisis.
 
The coalition also expressed concern over alleged extra-judicial killings and civilian casualties during security operations, including repeated incidents of accidental airstrikes on civilian communities.
 
The groups stated that the figures, which exclude casualties from regular crimes such as armed robbery, highlight the severity of insecurity in a country “that insists it is not at war.”
 
The statement noted that the National Day of Mourning was established as a citizen-led initiative to honour victims of mass atrocities and violent killings, while demanding accountability from those constitutionally responsible for protecting lives and property.
 
The coalition called on the Federal Government to urgently fulfil its constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property, prosecute perpetrators of violent crimes, strengthen intelligence gathering and rapid response systems, disrupt kidnapping and ransom networks, and provide humanitarian support for victims and displaced persons.
 
It also demanded improved protection for schools, farming communities, women, children and other vulnerable groups disproportionately affected by insecurity.

ATIKU, in a statement issued yesterday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, accused the Presidency of being disconnected from the realities facing ordinary Nigerians.
 
The presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) was reacting to recent comments by the Presidency comparing Nigeria’s debt profile with those of other African countries.
 
According to Atiku, no responsible government measures success by the amount of debt accumulated, but by the living conditions of its citizens.
 
He said the Tinubu administration had reduced governance to “a public relations exercise” in which millions of Nigerians struggle with hunger, inflation, insecurity, and economic uncertainty, while the government celebrates debt figures.
 
He argued that despite increasing debt levels and painful economic reforms, Nigerians were worse off under the Tinubu administration.
DIRECTOR of Research, NIIA, Prof. Joshua Bolarinwa, said the Children’s Day event was not merely a celebration of children but also a moment for reflection on the growing threats facing children globally.
 
Bolarinwa lamented that schools, which should serve as sanctuaries of learning and safety, had increasingly become targets of terror and violence, while borders meant to define sovereignty had turned into channels for trafficking and exploitation.
 
Head, International Law Unit, NIIA, Dr Rita Agu, speaking on ‘From Global Commitments to Local Action: Why Child Protection Laws Often Fall Short’, stressed that “child protection goes beyond signing international agreements and passing laws”, noting that implementation remains the biggest challenge.
 
She explained that despite global commitments such as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals, many children still suffer abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, bullying, and unsafe learning conditions.
  
According to her, weak implementation, lack of awareness, inadequate resources, and the culture of silence often prevent vulnerable children from getting help.
 
Dr Agu urged teachers, parents, and communities to become more proactive in identifying signs of abuse among children, including emotional withdrawal, fear, frequent injuries, poor academic performance, and unusual silence.

She also encouraged children to speak up whenever they feel unsafe and to report suspicious behaviour to trusted adults, insisting that protecting children must become a collective responsibility.
 
Senior Research Fellow at the NIIA, Dr Philippa Inyang, highlighted the growing role of international partnerships in combating child trafficking and cross-border abduction.
 
Director-General, NIIA, Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, welcoming the children, assured them of a bright future, adding that many of them had the potential to become governors, doctors, lawyers, diplomats, entrepreneurs, and global change-makers.
 
Also, research fellow, NIIA, Beauty Ogbologu, said that safe schools were not a privilege but a minimum standard of child protection required under international law, while stressing that children cannot effectively learn in environments threatened by violence, abduction or armed conflict.