Parents of children abducted from a school in northeastern Nigeria’s Borno state staged a public protest on Thursday, demanding the federal government take immediate action to secure the release of their loved ones nearly 100 days after they were taken.
Approximately 46 children remain unaccounted for after armed men seized them from their classrooms in the town of Mussa on May 15. Protesters gathered in Askira-Uba, the local government area where the school is located, holding placards and calling for urgent government intervention.
Community Gripped by Fear
Orbet Lawan Yakubu, representing the traditional ruler of Mussa, told reporters that the entire community has been affected by the abductions. There is nothing more painful than separating very young children from their parents, he said. The entire community is affected because almost every family is connected to those who were taken.
The protest came as frustration grew among families who say they have received little information about the fate of their children or the government’s efforts to recover them. Parents expressed anger that nearly 100 days had passed without a resolution, with some questioning whether the abductions remained a priority for authorities in Abuja.
Pattern of School Attacks in Northeast Nigeria
The Mussa abduction fits a devastating pattern of school kidnappings that has plagued northeastern Nigeria for more than a decade. The region has been the epicenter of the Boko Haram insurgency, which gained worldwide attention in 2014 when militants seized 276 girls from the town of Chibok. While some of those students were eventually released or escaped, more than 80 remain unaccounted for to this day.
In recent years, abductions have spread beyond Boko Haram’s direct operations, with criminal gangs and other armed groups carrying out kidnappings for ransom across Nigeria’s north. The May 15 seizure in Mussa underscores the persistent insecurity in Borno state, which has borne the brunt of the insurgency since 2009.
Nigeria’s security forces have faced criticism for their inability to prevent repeated attacks on schools and communities despite years of military operations in the northeast. The federal government has not publicly commented on the specific demands raised by the Mussa families, though local officials have previously pledged to work toward the children’s release.
The protest highlights the ongoing human toll of Nigeria’s security crisis, where millions of people in the northeast live under the constant threat of violence. International organizations estimate that more than 2 million people remain displaced in the Lake Chad basin region, with Borno state accounting for the majority.
Sources: Reuters; Daily Trust; Straits Times; AllAfrica
discussion