June 11, 2026
Nigeria’s Ambassador-Designate to Mexico, Reno Omokri, has faulted Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, over his public advocacy for abducted schoolchildren in Oyo State, warning that global attention on terrorism cases could undermine rescue efforts.
The controversy followed Davido’s appearance at the FIFA World Cup countdown concert, where he used his outfit to highlight the plight of pupils and teachers kidnapped in Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The singer performed in a customised jacket and shirt bearing the names of the victims, including inscriptions distinguishing those still in captivity from those confirmed dead, describing the act as a call for urgent government intervention.
Reacting in a lengthy post on X on Thursday, Omokri argued that such publicity risks empowering the perpetrators rather than securing the victims’ release.
“Publicity helps terrorists. It does not pressure them. They treasure it!” he wrote, insisting that there is a widespread misconception that international outrage forces armed groups to back down. “It is a very big mistake to think that publicity, or global outrage, pressures terrorists. Quite the contrary. They relish it! They thrive on it,” he added.
