By Fr. Michael Nsikak Umoh
Beyond all gimmicks and manipulations, in the quiet of a nation’s conscience, the names of kidnapped children echo louder than any political slogan or careerism. Each of these names is not a statistic, not a pawn, but a heartbeat stolen from the embrace of family in a nation that should cherish and protect them. The supporting documents listing these children, made available to the public by the Diocese of Kontagora, are not mere papers; they are testimonies of innocence interrupted, futures endangered, and lives suspended in fear.
The Arise interview on 24 November, 2025 raised the agenda for public awareness and sincere discourse. It was not a performance, not a stage for political maneuvering, but a solemn reminder that behind every headline lies a mother’s tears, a father’s anguish, and a child’s silent plea for rescue. To twist such pain into political theater is not only immoral, it is a desecration of human dignity.
Whoever seeks to play politics with these lives through false fabrications, must be confronted with the weight of conscience. To fabricate stories around kidnapped children is to erase their suffering, to silence their cries, and to betray the very essence of humanity. It is to trade compassion for calculation, empathy for expedience, truth for propaganda.
But truth resists erasure. The documents stand as evidence. The interview stands as testimony, because people can distinguish truth from falsehood. The families stand as witnesses. And the children, though absent, stand as the most powerful indictment against any attempt to trivialize their plight.
This story is not about politics. It is about humanity. It is about the sacred duty to protect the vulnerable, to honor the truth, and to resist the corrosive temptation of lies.
Let the world hear this: No child’s suffering should ever be weaponized; No parent’s grief should ever be manipulated; No tragedy should ever be fabricated for political gain.
To denounce falsehood is to defend the truth. To defend the truth is to defend the children. And to defend the children is to defend the very soul of our society.
ARISE INTERVIEW PAPIRI SCHOOL KIDNAPPING UPDATE PAPIRI SCHOOL KIDNAPPED WHO RETURNS LIST OF PERSONS STILL KIDNAPPED AT ST MARY’S SCHOOL PAPIRI
