The Federal Government and Borno Government have intensified efforts to secure the safe release of 44 schoolchildren abducted from Mussa community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area. Governor Babagana Zulum disclosed this on Friday when he met with parents of the abducted pupils in Maiduguri. The meeting followed a request by the parents, who appealed for urgent government intervention to secure the children’s safe release.
Zulum expressed sympathy to the affected families and assured them of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to rescuing the abducted pupils. He said Tinubu had directed security agencies to intensify efforts toward ensuring the children’s safe return to their families. According to him, the Nigerian Armed Forces and Borno Government were working together to achieve the objective.
“On behalf of the government and people of Borno, I once again extend my sympathies over what happened at Mussa Central Primary School,” Zulum said. He said the incident occurred on May 15, resulting in the abduction of about 44 primary school pupils.
The governor assured the parents that the government would continue doing everything possible to secure the children’s safe return. Senator Ali Ndume, representing the Southern Borno Senatorial District, and other senior government officials attended the meeting.
The abduction of 44 schoolchildren in Borno is a grim reminder of the insecurity that continues to plague the North-east. The parents have now waited more than three months for their children’s return. The governor’s assurance of government commitment is welcome, but the families need action, not words.
This echoes the 2014 Chibok kidnapping, which also saw parents wait for months for the return of their children. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a government struggling to secure the release of abducted children.
The winners: none. The losers: the families of the 44 abducted pupils, who continue to wait; and the Nigerian state, which has failed to protect its children.
Bottom Line: Forty-four children remain in captivity. The government promises action. The parents wait. The question is whether this time will be different.