By Sunday Ameh
Parents of pupils abducted from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State have appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts to secure the release of their children, nearly two months after they were kidnapped.
The families made the appeal following the successful rescue of teachers and pupils abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, urging the authorities to demonstrate the same commitment in rescuing the Borno victims.
Speaking on behalf of the parents, the committee chairman, Ishaku Suya, said the families had endured weeks of uncertainty and fear without receiving any meaningful update on the whereabouts of the abducted children.
“We were encouraged by the successful rescue of the Oyo pupils and teachers, but we are pleading with the government not to forget our own children. We deserve the same commitment because they are Nigerians too,” he said.
The Borno pupils were abducted on May 15, 2026, when gunmen attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, carting away more than 40 pupils and teachers, including toddlers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Suya said the only official visit to the community after the abduction was by the Borno State Commissioner for Education, who assured the families that efforts were ongoing to rescue the victims.
Another parent, Sale Buba, lamented the prolonged silence surrounding the incident, saying the affected families had no information about where their children were being held or the conditions they were facing.
Similarly, Ishaku Joe said the absence of updates had deepened the anguish of parents, while another parent, identified simply as James, accused the government of abandoning the victims despite its constitutional responsibility to protect citizens.
Meanwhile, a coalition of youths and students staged a peaceful protest in Maiduguri, calling on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to rescue the abducted pupils from Mussa, Lassa and other affected communities.
Addressing the protesters, the convener, Suleiman Muhammed, commended security agencies for rescuing the Oyo victims but urged them to launch similar operations in Borno.
He also called for greater investment in youth employment and warned against the payment of ransom, arguing that it would encourage further kidnappings.
Another protester, Muhammed Mustapha, questioned why the Borno victims had received less national attention despite being abducted on the same day as the Oyo pupils.
Also reacting, the Christian Association of Nigeria urged the Federal Government and security agencies to sustain efforts to rescue all abducted Nigerians, irrespective of their location.
In a statement on Sunday, the President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, welcomed the successful rescue of the Oyo pupils and teachers, commending President Bola Tinubu, security agencies, intelligence operatives, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, the Amotekun Corps, local hunters and vigilantes for their roles in the operation.
While praising Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde for supporting the affected families and promising rehabilitation for the rescued victims, Okoh stressed that families in Borno, Niger and other states whose loved ones remained in captivity deserved equal attention.
“Our compassion must never become selective, and every Nigerian held captive deserves the same urgency and commitment regardless of where the abduction occurred,” he said.
He further called on governments, faith-based organisations and humanitarian agencies to provide medical care, counselling and psychosocial support for rescued victims and their families, while emphasising the need to keep schools safe from criminal attacks.
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