After weeks in captivity, with no rescue made for over 39 students and seven teachers abducted across three schools in Oyo State, located in the Southwest region of Nigeria, more than 10 Nigerian celebrities have slammed the government and demanded the urgent release of the kidnapped victims.
The abductions which created national tension have garnered reactions from Nigerian celebrities.
Media personality Chude Judeonwo visited one of the affected schools and gave a firsthand account of what he found. He described three schools that had been hit in coordinated attacks, with children running in panic while their teachers abandoned them and scattered into the bush.
“Their teachers abandoned them first and began to scamper into the bushes, not knowing who was taken or who was alive,” he said.
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He noted that the dense surrounding forest made it nearly impossible to determine the direction the abductors had fled, saying that the bushes offered the attackers multiple escape routes in every direction.
Judeonwo said the students’ school bags and class books were still sitting exactly where they had been left.
“They were literally in the middle of class when the bandits came,” he said.
He maintained that the school had since been deserted, with no certainty among students or families about whether or when they would return.
“You have to be here physically to understand the enormity of what Nigeria has allowed to happen to our children. It’s a disgrace, and it’s a tragedy,” he said.
Rapper and actor Folarin Falana, popularly known as Falz, confirmed in a video that the victims included very young children.
“Over 40 people kidnapped in Oyo State, most of them children; nursery and primary school children. The last image they have is of them being tortured,” he said, raising alarm about the disturbing condition of the victims.
Also, Nollywood actress Yvonne Jegede directed her frustration at the government, tagging President Bola Tinubu’s official handles in her post.
She said that what distinguished Nigeria’s crisis from crime in other countries was the complete absence of confidence that the government would act.
“Crimes happen everywhere in the world; it is the fact that Nigerians know that no one will ever come looking for them that is the issue,” she stated.
In a follow-up post, Jegede escalated her criticism, saying it was shameful that a country of over 240 million people was being governed with such indifference.
She maintained that the country’s large population represented an enormous labour force that ought to be an advantage, yet leaders were instead, in her words, enforcing illiteracy and weaponising greed for their own families’ benefit.
“We are not even addressing hunger or bad policies. We are not talking about subsidies, lack of education, healthcare, or unemployment. It is kidnapping we are now addressing? Banditry is now a pandemic in Nigeria? You people should be ashamed,” she said.
Veteran actor Chiwetalu Agu questioned what concrete steps the government had taken since the abductions, noting that children and teachers had remained in captivity for days.
“How many more children must suffer before stronger actions are taken against insecurity in this country?” he asked.
He stressed that the safety of citizens, especially children, should never be treated as negotiable.
Actor Kunle Remi called for a state of emergency, insisting that the country could not continue with normal activities while families searched for missing children.
He addressed those who had consistently defended the government, telling them their position would be judged by the future.
To officials who remained silent, he said: “When it reaches your doorstep, pardon our silence.”
He also warned: “Nemesis does not forget addresses.”
Popular singer Spyro called for action beyond prayers. Quoting scripture, he said that faith without works is dead and that the time had come to hold leaders accountable.
“Please call out all your spiritual leaders, your celebrities and every single politician you know; we need them now. Evil prevails when the people keep quiet,” he stated.
Actress BamBam expressed sadness but also challenged Nigerians to move beyond emotional reactions.
“We are all crying, making posts, and having AI create flyers for us. What are we going to do about it? What is the plan?” she asked.
She drew a parallel to the 2014 Chibok girls’ abduction, saying the Oyo incident was simply the latest version of a tragedy that had played out repeatedly across Nigeria without resolution.
In a separate post, she appealed to God: “It’s too much… the children… the deaths… our hearts… Please comfort those who mourn and give us wisdom and strength to navigate all this… It’s too much, Lord; it’s just too much. We are not okay.”
Actress Ruth Kadiri recalled a time when Nigerians lived freely, saying that now Nigerians live in fear and uncertainty.
“Now fear resides with us. Uncertainty lives amongst us,” she said.
She challenged the familiar call to stay and build the country, asking where exactly citizens were supposed to build when home was no longer safe.
“Our children are kidnapped right before our eyes. Every mother’s nightmare is here,” she said.
Actress Kehinde Bankole drew a direct line between the Oyo abductions and the Chibok girls’ kidnapping of more than a decade ago, noting that she had once performed in a theatre production about that earlier tragedy.
“… One time it was the Chibok girls; I even performed in a theatre production about their stories. Here we are again — Children’s Day without all children being safe and protected,” she said.
Tiwa Savage, who had earlier faced public backlash for sharing a video about the abductions stood firmly by her decision to speak out.
“When I spoke, I was crucified for it, but trust me, that won’t stop me from still being active. Just know, just because you might not see my post about it does not mean I am not doing anything. I just don’t have to validate my actions; God sees. May God help us and guide us all with the right wisdom to overcome this tragedy,” she said.
Actress Iyabo Ojo questioned how long Nigerians would tolerate the violence, asking: “For how long are we going to allow these demons that call themselves bandits or terrorists to break into homes, villages and cities, take away our children, kill innocent souls, and destroy homes, families and property?”
Veteran actress Patience Ozokwo also lent her voice with a series of questions about the rescue of the victims.
“What can we do to change the narrative? How can they be brought back home safely? How are children being targeted and we remain silent? How will change happen if we remain silent?” she asked.
Nigerian celebrities are demanding urgent action from government, to bring the abducted children and teachers back home.
