Parents of abducted children in Borno State have given the Federal Government six days to secure their release or face a protest at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The parents and community members from Mussa and Lassa in Askira/Uba Local Government Area issued the ultimatum during a protest in Maiduguri on Monday. The families said their children have spent more than four months in captivity after separate attacks in the area. They appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims.
According to the affected families and community representatives, about 80 children from Mussa and Lassa remain in captivity. The reported figure includes 44 children from Mussa Ward and 36 students abducted from schools in Lassa. An exact number of victims has varied across official and media accounts.
The Mussa abduction occurred on May 15, 2026, when children were taken from schools near the Sambisa Forest. A separate attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa occurred on June 29 while students were sitting for examinations. At least 36 students and one staff member were reported to remain in captivity after that attack.
Comparison With the Oyo Kidnapping
The parents compared their situation with the abduction of students and teachers in Oyo State, whose victims were later released after 56 days in captivity.
Chairman of the affected parents, Ishaku Suya, appealed directly to the president to intervene.
“We are talking with one voice: rescue our children,” he said, according to reports.
Another parent, Josphin Yohanna, questioned why similar urgency had not been applied to the Borno victims.
“Why shouldn’t the president extend similar urgency to our children in the northeast? We are equally Nigerians,” she said.
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The acting district head of Lassa, Wadzani Hammatu, also appealed for government action, describing the situation as increasingly unbearable for families in the community. The member representing Askira/Uba and Hawul Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Dr Midala Usman Balami, said the children had endured more than four months in captivity.
Balami said he had already raised the matter in the National Assembly and organised a press conference. All aimed at drawing attention to the prolonged captivity. He urged the Federal and Borno State governments to deploy available security resources to secure the children’s release.
Borno has continued to face attacks by Boko Haram and other insurgent groups, with schoolchildren among the victims. The Lassa abduction also drew national concern over the safety of schools in the state.
The parents said they would proceed with their planned protest at the Presidential Villa if the government fails to secure the children within six days. As of the latest reports, the Presidency had not publicly responded to the ultimatum.
