Nigeria Update Episode 5 | The Abandoned & Forgotten Children of Nigeria’s Genocide
Save the Persecuted Christians & Save Nigeria Group
A JOINT WEBINAR
Nigeria Update: Episode 5
The Abandoned & Forgotten
Children of Nigeria’s Genocide
11 am ET, Wednesday, June 10, 2026
(This is a biweekly event every other Wednesday
starting April 15 and continuing through June 24.)
Orphans are typically defined as children under 18 who have lost one or both parents. Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) is a broader category that includes not only orphans but also children facing extreme risks — from poverty, HIV/AIDS in the family, armed conflict, displacement, disability, or inadequate care — even if both parents are alive.
In 2008, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development estimated 17.5 million OVC — roughly one in every four Nigerian children at the time. That figure continues to be widely cited nearly two decades later, even as the country’s total population has grown 54% to an estimated 242 million in 2026, with nearly 110 million children and adolescents.
As Islamic terror ramped up and spread, Nigeria stopped tracking the numbers.
Nigeria’s government announced plans for a new national OVC survey in 2024, but as of mid-2026, no comprehensive updated national total has been released. Given ongoing insurgency, conflict, poverty, and displacement, the true number is almost certainly higher today.
Since 2009, Nigeria has endured relentless violence from groups like Boko Haram, ISWAP, Fulani militants and other jihadist groups, particularly in the North and Middle Belt. This has displaced millions and left deep scars on families and communities. Many communities continue to be occupied by terrorists without government intervention.
They can’t safely go home. The attack on Yelewata last year in June, and others like it, prove they aren’t safe in the camps.
As of early 2026, Nigeria officially has approximately 3.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), the vast majority women and children. Again, these are old, irrelevant numbers. Many human rights groups report the actual number is far higher, likely 12-13 million IDPs. Many receive little to no government assistance, especially Christian communities targeted in the Middle Belt and elsewhere. Many don’t exist on paper; they’re just tiny bundles of flesh and blood languishing under the stars.
The education system reveals the scale of the failure. Recent data from the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, shows that of nearly 30 million pupils enrolled in primary school, only 6 million eventually advance to senior secondary education — meaning roughly 24 million children drop out along the way. UNICEF consistently reports around 10.5 million children aged 5–14 out of school, with broader estimates (including adolescents) reaching 18–20 million. Many of these children live in IDP camps or informal settlements, where trauma, malnutrition, and lack of services are rampant.
“I have seen this reality firsthand. In Benue State IDP camps and overflowing orphanages in Plateau, I met children with distended bellies and haunted eyes — beautiful souls carrying unimaginable trauma. Their smiles mask deep pain,” said Dede Laugesen of Save the Persecuted Christians. “To much of the world, they remain invisible. To those who have looked into their faces, they are impossible to forget.
“It is unconscionable that major international bodies — including the UN, U.S. agencies, and prominent human rights organizations — continue quoting statistics that are 18 years old for OVC while the scale of suffering has grown. This creates a dangerous illusion of knowledge where ignorance actually reigns. Without current, credible data, effective humanitarian response is crippled.
“These children need to be counted — so they can be helped.”
The U.S.-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition and its partners call for an immediate census, conducted with international observers, to provide the foundation for real solutions.
Join us at 11 a.m. ET, Wednesday, June 10, to hear from leaders on the ground in Nigeria, Rev. Dr. William Devlin, Pastor Solomon Folorunsho and Rev. Dr. Oluwasayo Ajiboye, who are doing their best to keep Nigeria’s orphaned and forgotten children safe from harm and busy learning in a world of chaos, hunger and horror none should ever experience, but far too many have.
Moderator
- Dede Laugesen, President and CEO, Save the Persecuted Christians
Co-Host
- Stephen Osemwegie, President, Save Nigeria Group; Facilitator, US-Nigeria Civil Society Coalition
Panelists
- Rev. Dr. William Devlin, President & Founder, Widows and Orphans (widowsandorphans.info)
- Bamshak and Makayla Dagwer, Founders and Directors, Seeds of Hope Nigeria (seedsofhopeng.org) (invited)
- Rev. Solomon Folorunsho, Pastor & Founder, Home for the Needy (homefortheneedy.com)
- Rev. Dr. Oluwasayo Ajiboye, President & Founder, Mission Africa International (US & Nigeria) (missionafricainternational.org)
Hosts of the Webinar
This webinar is jointly hosted by Save the Persecuted Christians and Save Nigeria Group USA.
Save the Persecuted Christians—an educational 501 (c)(3) non-profit charity registered in the United States of America—is a grassroots movement to save lives and save souls. We educate the public on anti-Christian violence and enlist their help in supporting those harmed for their faith in Jesus; holding those responsible accountable; and securing significant penalties on state and non-state persecutors of Christians.
Save Nigeria Group USA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to uplifting the lives of Nigerians both in the United States and in Nigeria. Founded on the belief that every Nigerian deserves access to opportunity, dignity, and justice, we work tirelessly to support the Nigerian-American community and provide critical assistance to those in need across Nigeria.
UPCOMING
Join us at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 20, to Rally for Nigeria’s Persecuted in front of the White House at Lafayette Park. Let us know you’re coming at SaveNigeriaGroup.org.
June 20th Rally for Nigeria
Saturday, June 20, 202610 am Eastern
Venue: Lafayette Park
(across from the White House)
Washington DC/US Capitol