“Where Are the Kidnapped School Children?” – US Missionary Confronts Nigeria’s First Lady Over Car Gifts to Politicians.
An American faith-based humanitarian has publicly challenged Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, over what he describes as a worrying case of misplaced focus.
Alex Barbir, a missionary and former college football player known for his work in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region, called on Mrs. Tinubu to rethink her recent donation of luxury cars to female political leaders. His message was blunt: vehicles can wait, but kidnapped children cannot.
“A luxury car is not worth more than the life of a child,” Barbir said in a statement shared with news platforms. He urged the First Lady to direct the same energy and resources toward finding the abducted schoolchildren from Oyo State, their teachers, and other students taken from schools across the country.
“Some of these children are still sleeping in the bush,” he added. “No car should matter more than bringing them home.”
The First Lady’s donation took place on June 2, 2026, during the launch of a new women-led political group called the Tinubu Torchbearers. The event was held in Abuja.
Mrs. Tinubu gave personal vehicles to women leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in five states not governed by her party: Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Osun, and Oyo. Her office made it clear that the cars were personal gifts, not official party assets. Each vehicle is to be registered in the recipient’s name. She also called on state governors to do the same for women in their regions.
READ: Oyo School Kidnapping: Bandits Make Fresh Demands for Release of Kidnapped Children and Teachers
While some praised the move as empowerment, others—including Barbir—see it as a distraction from more urgent national crises.
Nigeria has continued to battle a wave of school abductions, especially in the northern and southwestern parts of the country. Just weeks before the First Lady’s event, gunmen took dozens of students and teachers from a school in Oyo State. As of this report, several of them have not been returned.
Families of the missing children have held small protests, begging for government action. Many feel that officials are moving too slowly, while attention and money go toward political gatherings and luxury gifts.
Barbir, who has spent years working with rural communities in Nigeria, asked the First Lady to use her influence to push security forces and state governments to do more.
Who Is Alex Barbir?
Barbir first gained attention in Nigeria for his humanitarian work in the Middle Belt, where he helped displaced farmers and provided aid to victims of communal clashes. He has also drawn controversy over some of his methods and statements, but he remains a familiar face in local news circles. His latest intervention has added to his reputation as an activist unafraid to speak directly to those in power.
READ: Another Set of Female Travelers Kidnapped and Humiliated on Camera By Bandits in Zamfara
As of the time of this report, the First Lady’s office has not issued any public reply to Barbir’s remarks. Calls to spokespersons for the APC women’s wing were not immediately returned.
The debate raises a difficult question that many Nigerians are already asking at home: how should the country’s leaders balance political gestures with the duty to protect the most vulnerable?
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“Where Are the Kidnapped School Children?” – US Missionary Confronts Nigeria’s First Lady Over Car Gifts to Politicians.
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