Children’s Day in Nigeria is usually filled with colourful parades, dancing, songs, and happy faces. But behind the celebrations in recent years in Nigeria are parents still carrying deep fear, children struggling with trauma, and teachers who no longer feel safe in the classrooms they once loved.
Over the years, the kidnapping of students and teachers in different parts of Nigeria has left emotional scars on communities. Schools, which should be places of learning and safety, became places of fear for many children. Many parents spent sleepless nights praying for the safe return of their children. Words are not enough to explain the agony of some pupils who watched armed men invade their schools and forced their fellow pupils to walk for hours through forests, not knowing if they would ever return home, thereby losing the simple joy of childhood too early.
This collective trauma goes beyond the victims alone. It affects entire communities and the nation as a whole. When children grow up surrounded by fear, it alters their perception of the world. Some lose confidence in education. A child who should be thinking about homework and football suddenly begins to think about survival.
Teachers also carried emotional wounds. Many struggled with guilt, anxiety, and fear after seeing their students suffer. In some communities, schools were shut down for months because parents no longer trusted that their children would be safe. For many families across the country, the day also brings painful memories.
In other cases, some children who returned became silent and withdrawn. Others became afraid of going back to school as the pain did not end after the victims came back home. Yet, in the middle of this pain, there are stories of courage and hope. Parents continue to make sacrifices so their children can learn and dream again. Some survivors have found the strength to continue their education. Teachers have returned to classrooms despite the risks because they believe children still deserve a future.
On this Children’s Day, our leaders must remember that every child deserves to learn in peace without fear of violence or abduction. In essence, protecting children is more than a promise made in speeches. It is a duty. Also, every teacher deserves to work in a safe environment.
Moreover, healing from this trauma will take time, honesty, support, and stronger protection for schools and communities. The story of the victims should not be buried and forgotten in a hurry. Our government must work towards ensuring that they understand that their pain matters. Their stories matter. And their future matters too.
Thanks for your attention.
Mrs Dickson Ihejirika,
Founding Editor, TGCN.
www.trendgistnetwork.com
27th May,2026
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