By Dr. Philomena Abieyuwa Eriyo
Founder, Inter-Religious Women Foundation.
My dear brothers and sisters,
I write to you today not with political rhetoric, not with religious dogma, but with a mother’s anguished heart and a citizen’s desperate cry. My womb trembles. My spirit groans. I weep. I weep for Nigeria. I weep for our innocent children.
In the past weeks, we have witnessed a chilling wave of kidnappings—not random, not desperate, but calculated. And the timing screams loudest: elections are near. It appears that the lives of our little ones, our precious children, have become pawns in a dark political game. Yes, you heard me. Pawns. Bargaining chips. Currency for fear.
And let me say this clearly, because truth must be spoken even when it burns: Any attempt to rubbish the present administration as the sole cause of this escalating insecurity is, in many cases, suspect to the development orchestrated by very callous and selfish political actors. I am not blind. I see the pattern. When insecurity rises sharply just before an election, and fingers point in only one direction while ignoring the fingerprints of those who benefit from chaos, we must pause and ask: Who gains when Nigeria burns? Do not let them weaponize your pain for their ambition. Do not be a tool in the hands of those who would sacrifice children for power.
How did we become a nation where the laughter of a child is silenced by the greed of power-hungry men? How did we allow politics to become a battlefield where the first casualties are our sons and daughters, torn from their schools, their homes, their mothers’ arms?
I am not here to point fingers at any particular party. I am here to appeal to your conscience—those of you who hold influence, who hold titles, who hold the power to stop this madness.
To our politicians:
You seek votes. You seek offices. You seek relevance. But at what cost? When a child is taken, a nation is wounded. When you use fear as a campaign tool, you set fire to our shared future. I beg you—let peace reign. Let the elections come and go without another drop of innocent blood. The crown you desire is not worth the coffin of a child.
To our religious leaders:
You stand in pulpits and pray for peace. Now, step out. Preach against the weaponization of insecurity. Your voice carries moral weight—use it to shame those who trade in terror.
To our community and traditional leaders:
You are the custodians of our villages, our neighborhoods, our local truths. Do not be silent. Do not be complicit. Identify strange movements. Speak up for the children who cannot speak for themselves. Their futures rest on your vigilance.
To the security agencies:
I know you are stretched, under-resourced, and often politicized. But I appeal to your honor. Rise to this moment. Do not wait for orders that protect the powerful. Protect the powerless. Go after the kidnappers with everything you have. Rescue every child. Leave no stone unturned. The people are watching—and history will remember your courage or your silence.
To the media:
You are the eyes of this nation. Shine your light into every dark corner. Expose those who sponsor violence, not for sensationalism, but for accountability. But do more—amplify stories of peace, teach parents safety measures, broadcast helplines, create pressure that forces action. You have the power to shape the narrative away from fear and toward protection.
And now, to every woman, every mother, every grandmother, every woman who dreams of holding a child or has ever known the joy of raising one:
WAKE UP!
I am speaking directly to your heart. You carried children in your womb. You nursed them through the night. You wiped their tears. You taught them to pray. And now, while we go about our markets, our kitchens, our places of work, our children are being taken—and some of us are silent.
Do not say, “It is not my child.” Do not say, “God will protect mine.” God gave you eyes, a mouth, and legs for a reason. See something. Say something. Do something.
LET US BE COMMUNITY WATCH MOTHERS!!!
If you hear a strange conversation in your neighborhood, speak. If you see a child being led away by unknown faces, shout. If you know of a hideout, a strange gathering, a sudden display of wealth by known troublemakers—report it. Do not be afraid. Your silence is a death sentence for somebody’s son or daughter.
You have the power of the marketplace, the power of the prayer circle, the power of the gossip network—use it for good. Organize. Watch over each other’s children. Demand answers from your local leaders. Do not wait for the government to save your child while you sit on information that could save another.
Every woman who wishes to enjoy the pleasure of being a mother must now become a warrior for all children. Not just yours. All.
And to every Nigerian, every father, every elder:
Do not become numb. Do not say, “It is not my child.” Today it is another mother’s son; tomorrow it could be yours. Watch out for one another. Report suspicious activity. Hold your leaders accountable—not at election time alone, but every single day.
I founded the Inter-Religious Women Foundation because I believed that faith could unite us, not divide us. Today, I call on that same unity. Muslim, Christian, traditionalist—our children are one. Their tears taste the same. Their cries sound the same.
Let us not wait for a national tragedy to shake us awake. We are already in one.
To those holding children right now: Release them. Not because we will negotiate, but because there is still a shred of humanity left in you. Do not turn our nation into a graveyard for ambition.
I will not stop speaking. I will not stop praying. But prayers without action are empty. So I am asking you—every single one of you—to act. Share this letter. Print it. Read it in your mosques, your churches, your markets, your schools. Let it go viral across WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and every corner of Nigeria.
Let the world know that Nigerians are tired. Tired of weeping. Tired of burying children who should be growing.
May God help us all.
Dr. Philomena Abieyuwa Eriyo
Founder, Inter-Religious Women Foundation
For the children. For peace. For Nigeria.
#LetPeaceReign #ProtectOurChildren #NigerianMothersRise #SeeSomethingSaySomething
#CommunityWatchMothers