Students, bandits (illustration)
There was a time when children feared examinations.
Today, many Nigerian children fear going to school itself.
A six-year-old girl hears the sound of motorcycles approaching her classroom and immediately begins to cry.
A ten-year-old boy sees unfamiliar men standing near a school gate and his heart starts racing.
A secondary school student no longer sits near the classroom window because she fears armed men may suddenly appear from the bush.
These are not scenes from a war movie.
These are becoming the realities and fears of many Nigerian children.
The tragedy of school kidnappings is no longer measured only by the number of children abducted.
It is measured by the number of children traumatized.
The number of children who can no longer learn in peace.
The number of children who jump at every strange sound.
The number of parents who whisper a prayer every morning after dropping their children at school.
The number of teachers who now wonder whether educating children is worth risking their own lives.
Today, June 18, 2026, in parts of Edo State, rumours of coordinated attacks on schools reportedly spread panic. Teachers grabbed children. Pupils ran. Some abandoned bags, books, lunch boxes and water bottles. Some fled into surrounding bushes. Some cried while running. Some simply followed the crowd because fear itself had become contagious. Official security alerts in the state a few days before had already raised concerns about possible school-targeted abductions, leading authorities to temporarily close some schools.
Imagine being seven years old.
Imagine hearing adults scream.
Imagine seeing your teacher, the person who is supposed to have all the answers, running in fear.
Imagine being separated from your classmates.
Imagine hiding among thorns, snakes, insects and dense vegetation while wondering whether armed men are chasing you.
Imagine getting home and asking your mother:
“Mummy, will they come for my school tomorrow?”
How does a parent answer that question?
Across Nigeria, the psychological damage is spreading beyond the victims.
Children who have never seen a kidnapper are developing fears because they have seen the videos.
They have heard the stories.
They know the names.
Chibok.
Kankara.
Jangebe.
Kuriga.
Oyo.
They know that schools have become targets.
And once a child begins to associate learning with danger, education itself becomes a casualty.
What happens to a nation when its children become afraid of classrooms?
What happens when parents decide that keeping a child alive is safer than sending that child to school?
What happens when teachers resign from rural schools because they feel abandoned?
What happens when investors avoid communities perceived as unsafe?
What happens when entire villages become educational deserts?
The answer is simple.
The future suffers.
Every child who drops out because of insecurity represents a future doctor lost.
A future engineer delayed.
A future teacher discouraged.
A future entrepreneur never discovered.
A future leader never developed.
The threat is no longer against individual schools.
It is a threat against the educational foundation of the nation itself.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the forests, kidnapped children and teachers may still be waiting.
Waiting for rescue.
Waiting for news.
Waiting for a miracle.
Waiting for proof that Nigeria has not forgotten them.
Their classmates continue attending school with empty seats beside them.
Parents continue staring at photographs.
Communities continue praying.
And children across the country continue asking the same question:
“Will we be safe tomorrow?”
No child should have to ask that question before going to school.
No teacher should have to wonder whether a lesson plan or an emergency escape route is more important.
No parent should have to choose between education and safety.
The protection of schools must become a national emergency.
Because when fear enters the classroom, learning leaves through the window.
Recommendations for Government:
1. Treat school security as a national security priority:
Every school in vulnerable areas should have a dedicated security assessment.
2. Deploy rapid-response security units around school clusters:
Response times must be measured in minutes, not hours.
3. Strengthen intelligence gathering:
Many attacks are preceded by suspicious movements and surveillance activities.
4. Communities must have secure channels to report threats:
Expand the Safe Schools Initiative. Install perimeter fencing, alarm systems, communication equipment, and controlled access points.
5. Use technology:
Drones, surveillance cameras, emergency GPS systems, and panic-alert applications should be introduced in high-risk areas.
6. Improve rural security infrastructure:
Many vulnerable schools are located far from police stations and security formations.
7. Provide trauma counselling:
Victims, teachers, parents, and students need psychological support long after an incident ends.
Recommendations for School Administrators
1. Conduct emergency drills every term.
2. Create evacuation and reunification plans.
3. Maintain accurate student attendance and emergency contact databases.
4. Establish emergency communication channels with parents.
5. Train staff in crisis management and first aid.
6. Control access to school premises and verify visitors.
7. Build strong relationships with local security agencies and community vigilante groups.
Recommendations for Parents and Communities:
1. Report suspicious activity immediately.
2. Teach children basic emergency procedures without creating panic.
3. Know the school’s emergency protocols.
4. Form community school-safety committees.
5. Avoid spreading unverified rumours, which can create dangerous stampedes and confusion.
6. Support children emotionally after security scares and encourage them to discuss their fears.
The greatest tragedy is not only that some children have been kidnapped.
It is that millions of other children now go to school carrying a fear that previous generations never knew.
A nation’s classrooms should be places of hope.
Not places where children scan the horizon for danger before opening their books.
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