Concern is growing in Borno State following what residents describe as a lack of visible federal intervention after the abduction of 42 pupils from a school in Mussa community, Askira Uba Local Government Area.
Many residents argue that the response to the incident has been markedly different from the swift action taken in Oyo State after the kidnapping of schoolchildren and teachers there. They contend that victims in Borno deserve the same level of attention and urgency.
Speaking on the development, Chairman of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State, Abubakar Suleiman, criticised what he viewed as unequal treatment of victims across the country.
He said, “The federal government visited Oyo State with a high-powered delegation, including the National Security Adviser, Minister of Defense, Chief of Staff to the President, among others, with a helicopter and landed at the local government where the abduction took place.
“In the case of Borno, around 416 people were kidnapped in Ngoshe on the 3rd of May. There has not been any federal government intervention. We also had another incident on the 16 of May; 42 students were kidnapped in Askira Uba. There was no federal government delegation. This doesn’t demonstrate that the federal government is treating victims equally.”
Suleiman urged authorities to intensify efforts to secure the release of those still in captivity and maintain communication with affected families.
“Our call is for the government to intensify the search, to come and interact with parents and assure them that their children will be united with them as soon as possible. They should also provide us with updates on the issue and let us know when the children are coming back,” Suleiman added.
Political analyst Abubakar Kareto also expressed concern over the incidents, noting that attacks on schools continue to expose the vulnerability of rural communities.
He said, “Both abductions of the 42 pupils from the Mussa community in Askira Uba, Borno State, taken by Boko Haram insurgents, and the Oriire in Oyo State, where 46 students and teachers were taken, are heartbreaking reminders that rural schools remain highly vulnerable soft targets and are exposing how unsafe it is to send kids to school in Nigeria.”
Kareto maintained that the federal government’s reaction to the two incidents appeared uneven.
“The Oyo State attack also occurred on the very day that of Askira Uba. While the government launched a rapid, high-profile response to the Oyo incident, including a federal visit led by the Chief of Staff and accompanied by the National Security Adviser, which also followed with a decision to immediately deploy 1,000 forest guards, the Borno abduction has mostly received standard rhetorical condemnations with no visible energy that can be compared in any way to the Oyo State incident,” he said.
He added that every community affected by mass abduction deserves the same commitment from security agencies and political leaders.
“Therefore, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the military high command should deploy the exact intensity of kinetic and intelligence resources to safely rescue the Askira Uba children. This will make everyone, not only the victim, feel belonged,” he stated.
Also weighing in, President of the Borno South Youths Alliance Forum, Samaila Kaigama, called on political leaders in the state to be more proactive in seeking solutions to the crisis.
“Governor Zulum, where are our 40-plus Askira Uba children? Is Governor Makinde of Oyo State doing something you ought to have done to get federal intervention?
“Over 40 students were kidnapped, and the only visible effort from those in charge was the presentation of ₦10 million to traditional rulers in Askira Uba. The people are asking: for what exactly? Is it compensation for the pain and suffering the affected families are going through?” he said.
He further noted that the state government is very proactive in deploying military force against protesters in the state.
“However, they were swift enough to deploy battalions of military personnel to a protest ground to prevent the exposure of what many perceive as their undemocratic and nonchalant attitude toward the masses.
“Let the world know and remember: no life is better than another, and no zone in Nigeria is more important than another,” he said.
The students were abducted on May 16 after suspected Boko Haram fighters reportedly attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira Uba, an incident that has continued to generate concern across the state.