As the 2025 edition of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence began on Monday, SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria revealed that at least 2,500 children have been abducted across the country over the past decade.
In a statement signed by the National Director, Eghosa Erhumwunse, the organisation expressed deep concern over the deteriorating safety of children and girls in both schools and communities. Erhumwunse noted that the rising insecurity and targeted attacks increasingly threaten the lives of girls, particularly those without parental care.
He described the situation as a national emergency, stating, “The safety of Nigerian girls, especially those without parental care, is facing a serious threat. What started as a crisis has now turned into a national emergency. Streets and schools are no longer safe. Even the digital space, which should support learning and connection, has become a platform for exploitation, abuse, and fear.”
According to the organisation, Nigeria has witnessed a persistent rise in abductions from schools and communities over the past ten years. More than 1,680 children were initially recorded as abducted, with recent attacks pushing the figure to nearly 2,500.
Erhumwunse stressed that each abduction represents a failure in the country’s child protection systems. Children without stable parental care, he said, are the most vulnerable, often overlooked and unheard. Such incidents, he added, disrupt education, destabilise families, and rob children of safety and hope.
Beyond physical violence, the organisation highlighted a surge in digital abuse, noting that many Nigerians use the internet to harass, impersonate, or exploit young girls. Research cited by SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria shows that 68.9 million Nigerians—nearly half of the nation’s active internet users—face online harm. Of these, 58 per cent are women and girls.
Nigeria’s ranking as the fifth-highest cybercrime hotspot globally, the group warned, underlines the seriousness of the situation. “Behind every manipulated image, hateful comment, threat, or non-consensual content is a real person—often a girl—whose dignity, identity, and mental well-being are violated,” the statement said.
The organisation explained that the combination of physical abductions and digital exploitation has a severe impact on children without parental care. Many face grooming, identity misuse, trafficking through online platforms, and digital sexual exploitation. “The vulnerabilities that once made them targets in the physical world are now exploited in the digital sphere,” it added.
SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria called for urgent and coordinated national action to combat these threats. It stressed the need for full implementation of the Child Rights Law, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, and the newly launched Alternative Care Guidelines across all states. It also urged the government to recognise digital violence in national protection and security frameworks, ensure safer school environments, regulate online spaces, protect survivors, and hold perpetrators accountable.
The organisation further appealed to government agencies, parents, religious institutions, and technology companies to work together to protect vulnerable children and combat the rising trend of digital violence.
“During these 16 Days of Activism, SOS Children’s Villages Nigeria stands firm: We will advocate. We will protect. We will work tirelessly until every child, especially those without parental care, can live, learn, and dream in safety,” the statement concluded.