100 days after abduction, Borno families seek Tinubu, Zulum’s intervention

Families of abducted schoolchildren and other victims in Borno State have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Babagana Zulum to intensify efforts to secure the release of their loved ones who have spent up to 100 days in captivity.

Forty-two pupils and students of Mussa Primary and Junior Day Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area were abducted on May 15, 2026.

Similarly, 36 students of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, were kidnapped on June 29 while sitting for their National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations.

The families also urged the authorities to urgently rescue 38 people who were abducted along the Buratai Road to Maiduguri, as well as other victims kidnapped along the Chibok route and in different parts of the state.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, the Secretary of the Hawul/Askira-Uba Elders Forum, Mr Malla Gadzama, described the situation as one of “prolonged pain, fear and uncertainty.”

He said, “Too much time has passed without our children. We have endured sleepless nights, fear and uncertainty, and we are still asking one question: where are our loved ones, and when are they coming home?”

The families urged President Tinubu and Governor Zulum to deploy all available security resources to ensure the safe return of the abducted victims.

“Mr President, these families have waited long enough. Governor Zulum, these are the children of Borno. Their parents are waiting, their families are suffering, their communities are hurting,” Gadzama lamented.

Citing the successful rescue of abducted children in Oyo State recently, the families charged the Federal Government to replicate the same strategy to rescue the Borno schoolchildren.

“We have seen what is possible when government and security agencies act with urgency, but why should Borno’s children wait this long?” they asked.

While commending the Oyo rescue operation, they insisted that victims in Borno deserved the same level of commitment, urgency and determination.

“We are not asking for preferential treatment. We are asking for equal protection, urgency, determination and commitment to human life,” they added.

The families called for the immediate rescue of all abducted victims, including those taken along the Buratai and Chibok routes, as well as others across the state.

They also demanded regular, transparent communication with affected families on efforts being made to secure the release of their loved ones.

In addition, they urged stronger protection for schools, major roads and vulnerable communities, alongside a coordinated, intelligence-led national rescue operation that is properly funded and effectively executed.

“This must not become normal”

The families warned against the normalisation of prolonged abductions, saying such situations must not be allowed to fade into routine national statistics.

“The continued captivity of these children cannot become normal,” they said.

“We cannot allow them to become statistics or fade from public attention as time passes.”

They emphasised that the victims are real people, with families enduring daily pain and uncertainty.

“These are not statistics. They are children, parents, siblings, spouses and loved ones. They are human beings whose families are praying and crying every day,” they added.

Despite the anguish, they assured other affected families of continued solidarity and support.

“You are not forgotten. Your pain is our pain. Your children are our children,” they added.

Also speaking, the lawmaker representing Hawul/Askira-Uba Federal Constituency, Midala Balami, sympathised with the families, urging the government to do its best to bring the schoolchildren home safely.

He said, “Among those people that you are seeing here, you can see a father whose wife and five-month daughter were abducted. As a representative of Askira-Uba, we have seen sleepless nights. It is so devastating that most times, I lose appetite and I hardly find even my peace. This is the level of devastation we find ourselves.

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