…the Nigerian people, the citizens are not on the streets, in front of our government houses demanding that ALL our children, from north to south to east to west are no longer in captivity. Traumatising flashback to Chibok and Dapchi in 2014. What has befallen us? That we can resignedly carry on like this? This is not us!
WE are marking Children’s Day and Eid al Adha with a mixture of sorrow and pain… our children are in captivity, being tortured. A teacher was beheaded a few days earlier. Videos surfaced showing the beheading, infants and toddlers, held in captivity some with whip marks on their backs.
And the President, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his entire cabinet, the Oyo state governor, Mr. Seyi Makinde, the Borno State Governor, Mr. Babagana Zulum, the DSS, the police, the army etc are not moving heaven and earth to ensure pur children in captivity are set free. They are busy hosting primaries – which should have stopped till our children are free. They have not called in the CIA, M-I6, Mossad, the FSB to comb those forests and we, the Nigerian people, the citizens are not on the streets, in front of our government houses demanding that ALL our children, from north to south to east to west are no longer in captivity. Traumatising flashback to Chibok and Dapchi in 2014. What has befallen us? That we can resignedly carry on like this? This is not us!
This Eid, this Children’s Day, we at Sesor call on all Nigerians of good will and good faith to awake from their slumber, to return to themselves and to arise in faith and in clear action. We thank the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria Lagos Chapter for leading the way in this regard with their fast and prayer rally on the situation in the country this past Sunday, 24 May. The PFN Lagos Chapter stood with the Benue people in the aftermath of the June 2025 Yelwata attacks and were recently in Mangu, Plateau State about 3 weeks ago to visit and encourage displaced communities. This past weekend, PFN Lagos Chapter organised a 3-day fast and a prayer rally on Sunday 24 May 2026 in Lagos. (watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnjU7IhqFJE&t=2869s)
PFN Lagos Chapter President, Pastor Yemi Davids shared his thoughts on our current situation in an interview with Channels. It is one of the best conversations around the security situation I have heard recently and I found it greatly encouraging as a call to not give up and to take our organising as a nation, in our states, in our communities and in our villages. I have attached the link to the interview but to give a glimpse into some of what he said that resonated:
Excerpts from Pastor Davids’ interview:
- It is worrisome. Some say it is politics. I got a call from somewhere “you know, the matter is not religious, it is not Christian …” Whatever is at the root of the killings has to be stopped. Whether it is a rat killing people, kill the rat. So because they don’t want a governor to come back, we should allow them to kill everybody? It doesn’t make sense. Whatever is the root, whether it’s politics, mining, terrorism, whatever it is, the constant is that people are dying and the state has a better advantage than the citizens to take proactive steps. My concern is we are reactionary rather than proactive.
- “We are normalising the killing of people…The fear we feel should be a motivation for us to be proactive in taking steps to protect ourselves.”
Hear more as you watch. https://youtu.be/mXKj57dNAy0?si=BSuspaU-xNwQ-Bob
For now, Nigerians. Let us awake from our slumber and give our leaders no peace until EVERY SINGLE CHILD AND ADULT IS FREED FROM CAPTIVITY.
I wish all our Muslim friends celebrating a courage-filled Eid holiday and to us all, an inspired Children’s Day – let us all arise and fight for our country and our children. It is not over until the trumpet sounds.
- Ier Jonathan-Ichaver is Founder, Sesor Empowerment Foundation
