Governor Seyi Makinde's Comments on Freed Schoolchildren Prompt Actor Femi Branch's Appeal

On 15 May 2026, armed abductors seized 46 schoolchildren and teachers in Orire, Oyo State, Nigeria. After 56 days in captivity, security forces rescued the victims on 10 July 2026. Governor Seyi Makinde later remarked that the rescue was politically timed, suggesting the children had been used as a political pawn.

Nollywood actor and director Femi Branch responded in a viral Instagram video, urging politicians to stop “playing dirty politics with children’s lives.” He highlighted the trauma the children likely endured, saying, “Innocent children were in the bush for 56 days. Those kids must be traumatised by now and need to be attended to.” Branch also criticized the overall quality of education in Nigeria, calling it “nothing to write home about.”