Davido honours abducted pupils and teachers at World Cup concert

Afrobeats star David Adeleke, known as Davido, performed on stage at the FIFA World Cup countdown concert on Wednesday. He wore a special outfit to honour the pupils and teachers recently kidnapped in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Davido turned his much-anticipated performance into a chance to raise awareness about the security situation in Nigeria. He called for the government to take action for the victims still held in captivity.

In a viral video from backstage, Davido wore a black leather jacket with green circular buttons. Each button had the names of students and teachers who were kidnapped by armed bandits. The names of those still missing were in white lettering, while the names of those who lost their lives were in red.

He also wore a white t-shirt with “NIGERIA” boldly printed on it. The back of his black leather jacket had “BRING THEM HOME” in big letters.

Before stepping on stage, Davido shared his sadness about the ongoing rescue efforts. He urged both the federal and state governments to speed up their help.

“Peace and love everywhere. May God be with the families of the abducted and the ones who have been killed,” Davido said.

“They still haven’t been rescued, we’re praying to God every day. We’re also praying to God that the government hastens, and you know… My country is going through a lot. We represent everywhere we go.”

The countdown concert is an important event leading up to the upcoming tournament.

PUNCH reports that Davido was set to headline the official 2026 FIFA World Cup countdown concert in the United States. This highlights his role as one of the main cultural representatives for African music on the global sports stage.

His performance follows the news that Davido will join other Nigerian stars like Burna Boy, Rema, and Ayra Starr on the official 2026 FIFA World Cup soundtrack album.