The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has used the occasion of Children’s Day 2026 to issue a passionate and deeply disturbing alarm over the escalating wave of violent attacks on schools across the country — describing the trend as a national emergency that demands immediate, decisive, and sustained government intervention to protect Nigerian children and their right to education.
In a strongly worded statement, CAN condemned what it described as the systematic targeting of schools, students, and educational workers by bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal elements — a crisis that has left millions of Nigerian children traumatised, displaced from classrooms, and robbed of their fundamental right to a safe and qualitative education.
The association recalled the devastating history of school attacks across Nigeria — from the Chibok girls abduction that shocked the world in 2014 to a long and painful series of subsequent school kidnappings in Zamfara, Kaduna, Niger, Kankara, and other states — stressing that over a decade later, Nigerian schoolchildren remain tragically unprotected despite repeated government promises of action.
CAN declared that no child should have to choose between education and survival — arguing that the continued attacks on schools represent not just a security failure but a fundamental assault on Nigeria’s future, robbing the country of the educated, empowered, and enlightened generation it desperately needs.
The association called on the Federal and State Governments to immediately deploy adequate security around schools in high-risk areas, invest in intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks targeting educational institutions, and ensure that every abducted student is safely rescued and returned to their families without delay.
CAN also called on the international community, UN agencies, civil society organisations, and faith-based institutions to intensify pressure on the Nigerian government to take school safety seriously — stressing that the protection of children is a universal moral obligation that transcends politics, religion, and ethnicity.
The association expressed deep sorrow for the families of abducted, injured, and killed students — offering prayers for healing, comfort, and the swift rescue of all children still in captivity across Nigeria.
“Every child deserves to learn in safety and in peace. Attacking schools is attacking Nigeria’s future. Enough is enough,” CAN declared with unmistakable urgency.
CAN used the Children’s Day occasion to renew its call for a comprehensive national school safety policy — one backed by adequate funding, institutional commitment, community participation, and genuine political will at both federal and state levels.
All rights reserved ©2026 CDA News Nigeria.
Privacy Policy: Your data is never shared with third parties without explicit consent.
📧 info@cdanews.ng | 📍 348 Ikwerre Road, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.Sonnet 4.6
