VIDEO: Davido defends wearing pins for abducted pupils at world cup event

Grammy-nominated Afrobeats star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has defended his decision to wear pins bearing the names of 39 abducted children and seven teachers during his performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup event, saying Nigeria’s image should never take precedence over the safety of innocent children.

Speaking in an interview with Focus on Africa host Waihiga Mwaura, shared on Sunday, the singer said he used his global platform to draw attention to the plight of the victims because they remain missing.

“A lot of people don’t really want to talk about what goes on in my country simply because they want to protect the image, but there’s no image to protect if little kids are being kidnapped,” Davido said.

He explained that while he was honoured to perform at the World Cup event, he believed it was equally important to highlight the security challenges facing Nigeria.

“As much as I was happy to do the World Cup, we also have to understand that there are things going on back home in our country, which we have the power to let the world know through our own means,” he said.

Davido added that music and live performances provide him with a platform to amplify issues affecting Nigerians.

“When I say our own means, where’s my power? My power is in music, performances. We have these students that have been missing, still not found. So yeah, I use my platform to project what’s really going on,” he said.

Watch the video below:

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐛𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐮𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐬 𝐀𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭

Credit: BBCAfrica
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Hannah Johnson is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over three years of professional experience in reporting, storytelling, and digital content creation. She blends traditional reporting skills with a modern, digital-first approach to journalism, producing content tailored for both web and social platforms. Hannah is skilled at turning complex topics into clear, engaging, and relatable stories that resonate with a wide audience. Her work reflects hands-on newsroom experience, editorial judgment, and a strong commitment to accurate, audience-focused journalism.

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