“Being a Child in Nigeria Is Increasingly Risky” — Child Protection Advocate Warns

Opeyemi Ebulu-Eyuruntari, child protection advocate and founder of the Saffron Social Development Global Foundation (SaffronSDGF).

|By Prosper Okoye  

A child protection advocate has warned that growing insecurity in Nigeria is making childhood increasingly dangerous, amid rising cases of kidnappings, violence and abuse affecting minors across the country.

Opeyemi Ebulu-Eyuruntari, Founder of the Saffron Social Development Global Foundation (SaffronSDGF), said many children are now growing up in fear rather than in safe and supportive environments.

“Being a child in Nigeria is increasingly risky,” she said, adding that childhood for many has been overshadowed by violence, neglect, insecurity, exploitation and preventable deaths.

Speaking in a statement to mark the 2026 Children’s Day, she cited recent incidents including mass abductions of schoolchildren, attacks on educational facilities, and cases involving vulnerable children in orphanages and care homes.

She said these developments highlight the urgent need for stronger child protection systems and more effective safeguarding measures nationwide.

“Children’s Day should be a day filled with joy, laughter, protection, dreams and hope for the future. However, for too many children across Nigeria, childhood is increasingly being overshadowed by fear, violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, kidnappings, insecurity and preventable deaths,” she said.

Ebulu-Eyuruntari called on governments at all levels to move beyond symbolic celebrations and focus on practical interventions to strengthen child protection frameworks, improve enforcement of laws, and invest in safer schools and communities.

She also urged greater funding for child welfare services, stronger multi-agency safeguarding structures, and community-based prevention programmes.

“We strongly believe that every child counts, every child matters and every child deserves protection,” she said, reaffirming her organisation’s commitment to safeguarding initiatives aimed at improving children’s welfare in Nigeria.

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#ChildProtection #Nigeria #OpeyemiEbuluEyuruntari #SaffronSDGF #ChildrenDay2026 #Security #ChildWelfare