Parents Worried As Uncertainty Surrounds Abducted School Children

Forty-seven days after terrorists abducted 42 pupils of Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, parents of the victims said they are still living in agony over the whereabouts of their children.

It was stated that the students, some of them toddlers as young as two years old, were taken from their classrooms on May 15, 2026, during an attack on the Mussa settlement.

No group has claimed credit for the abduction, while the families said they had not received any ransom demand or direct contact from the abductors since the incident.

Speaking to Daily Trust on Sunday, some of the impacted parents voiced dissatisfaction over what they characterized as the delayed response of government authorities.

One of the parents, Saleh Buba, whose two children were among those seized, said the families had been living in terror and uncertainty since the attack.

“We think about our children every day because some of them are toddlers. One of my children is just two years old. My wife and the other mothers have barely slept since kids were taken,” he said.

Buba said government officials visited the village shortly after the event and pleaded for patience, but noted that the families had not received any concrete news since then.

“Dozens of families are suffering. What we want from the administration is an explanation and regular updates on what is being done,” he added.

Another father, Josphin Yohanna, whose three-year-old child was abducted, said the hush surrounding the rescue efforts had become unbearable.

“For 47 days, we have heard nothing. We don’t know whether our children are sick, healthy, dead or alive. The officials advised us to be patient because efforts were ongoing, but how long should we continue waiting without any information?” she asked.

Some parents stated they believed the abductors might still be hidden in adjacent woodlands and mountainous areas around the neighborhood.

One of the parents stated the delay in rescuing the children had compounded the worry of the afflicted family.

“Our children are getting farther away from us each day the rescue is delayed. We appreciate the government’s efforts, but we want security authorities to act promptly and bring them home,” the parent said.

Another parent noted that the prolonged silence had left family feeling abandoned.

“We feel forgotten. It is as if our children do not matter. Most of them are between two and five years old, although we have not seen any big federal intervention aimed at returning children home,” he said.

Mussa village is located in the edges of the Sambisa Forest, a long-time stronghold of Boko Haram rebels.

The rebels have carried out recurrent raids across Borno and other parts of the North-East for more than a decade, killing locals, abducting civilians and destroying public and private property.

Despite continuous military operations in the sub-region, terrorists have continued to assault civilian and military objectives.

Humanitarian organisations have estimated that tens of thousands of people, including security personnel, have lost their lives to the insurgency, although many insurgents have also been slain by security forces.

The councilman for Mussa Ward, Peter Haruna Waba, described the situation as sad and distressing.

“It is heartbreaking. Forty-two children, including toddlers, have remained missing for 47 days without any trace.

“I know Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s administration is making efforts, but security operations are sensitive and cannot be discussed publicly,” he stated.

Waba, however, said no federal government delegation has visited the town to empathize with the afflicted families or advise them on efforts to gain the pupils’ release.

He asked the parents to avoid misinformation and keep calm while awaiting the conclusion of ongoing security procedures.

The Chairman of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State, Abubakar Suleiman, also complained that federal intervention has been negligible since the abduction.

Similarly, the President of the Borno South Youths Alliance Forum, Samaila Kaigama, called on political leaders to increase efforts to win more federal engagement.

“More than 40 schoolchildren were kidnapped, yet the only visible response was the presentation of N10 million to traditional rulers in Askira/Uba.

“The affected families want concrete action and the safe return of their children,” he said.

Kaigama noted that every Nigerian life deserved equal attention regardless of geography, adding that impressions of unequal treatment could increase feelings of marginalisation.

The abduction in Borno occurred on the same day gunmen raided schools in Oyo State, abducting kids and teachers. One of the kidnapped teachers was later assassinated by his kidnappers.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has urged for the immediate and unconditional release of all pupils and instructors abducted in Borno and Oyo states.