Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has defended his decision to spotlight the abduction of schoolchildren during the FIFA 2026 World Cup Countdown Concert in Los Angeles, insisting that protecting innocent lives is far more important than preserving Nigeria’s international image.
The award-winning singer came under fire after performing in a jacket bearing the inscription “Bring Them Home” alongside the names of the 46 abducted pupils and teachers from Oyo State. While critics accused him of embarrassing the country on a global stage, Davido maintained that remaining silent in the face of such a humanitarian crisis would be irresponsible.
Speaking during an interview on BBC’s Focus on Africa, the singer said he deliberately used one of the world’s biggest sporting platforms to draw global attention to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and the continued captivity of the victims.
“A lot of people do not want to talk about what goes on in my country simply because they want to protect the image. But there is no image to protect if little kids are being kidnapped,” Davido declared.
He stressed that representing Nigeria before a global audience was a privilege but argued that such opportunities should also be used to highlight the realities confronting ordinary Nigerians.
“As much as I was happy to do the World Cup, we also have to understand that there are things going on back home in our country, which we have the power to let the world know through our own means,” he said.
Davido further argued that celebrities and other influential figures have a moral obligation to speak out on issues affecting society rather than remain silent.
“When I say our own means, where is our power? My power is in music and performances. We have students that have been missing and are still not found. So yeah, I use my platform to project what’s really going on,” he added.
His symbolic protest has reignited national and international conversations over Nigeria’s deepening security crisis, particularly the rising wave of mass abductions targeting schools and vulnerable communities.
The controversy comes amid growing public outrage over the abduction of pupils, teachers and school officials from Yawota and Ahoro-Esinle communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The incident has triggered sustained protests by civil society organisations, activists and residents demanding immediate government action to secure the victims’ freedom.
Responding to the public outcry, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde assured residents that his administration was doing everything possible to rescue the victims, declaring that the state would never allow a tragedy similar to the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction to be repeated.
Addressing protesters in Ibadan, the governor pledged that no effort would be spared in ensuring the safe return of the abducted schoolchildren, their teachers and the school principal.
However, the Take It Back Movement condemned what it described as the slow pace of rescue efforts, accusing both the Federal Government and the Oyo State Government of failing to provide adequate security for citizens. The group described the prolonged captivity of the victims as a damning indictment of the country’s security architecture and called on security agencies to intensify rescue operations without delay.
Davido’s intervention has further amplified calls for urgent action, with many Nigerians applauding the singer for using his international influence to keep the plight of the abducted schoolchildren in the global spotlight.
His message was unequivocal: no nation’s reputation can be more valuable than the lives of its children, and until every abducted pupil returns home safely, silence is no longer an option.