Nearly 100 Days Later, Families Demand Rescue of Abducted Borno Children

Nearly 100 days after children were abducted from a school in Borno State, their families are once again demanding answers and urgent action from the Nigerian government.

Parents and relatives of the missing children protested in Uba town, Askira-Uba Local Government Area, on Thursday, calling on authorities to secure the safe return of their children.

The protest comes as families continue to live with uncertainty over the whereabouts and wellbeing of their loved ones.

The children were abducted from Mussa, a community on the outskirts of the Sambisa Forest, on May 15. According to Reuters, around 45 children remain unaccounted for from that incident.

Children Taken From Classrooms

The May 15 incident occurred while classes were in session at Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School.

Reports from the time indicated that armed attackers entered the community and abducted pupils from the school and nearby homes.

Reuters reported that the attack involved children being taken from their classrooms, while other reports put the total number of victims at 42, including pupils taken from nearby homes.

The incident immediately raised concerns about the safety of schools in southern Borno, an area that has continued to face attacks linked to insurgency.

For the affected families, however, the biggest concern now is the passage of time.

Nearly three months have gone by without the children returning home.

Another School Abduction Followed

The situation became even more worrying on June 29, when suspected insurgents attacked Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, also in Askira-Uba.

According to recent reports, 36 students and one teacher were abducted during the attack.

That means the two incidents together involved 78 schoolchildren, according to UNICEF's recent account.

The United Nations Children's Fund has urged both the Borno State and Federal Governments to intensify efforts to secure the children's release.

UNICEF Nigeria Deputy Representative Rownak Khan said schools should be safe places where children can learn and develop, expressing concern over the continuing abductions.

“We Worry Every Day”

The latest protest has put the emotional toll on families back in the spotlight.

Reuters spoke with relatives who described living with constant anxiety because they do not know where their children are or what condition they are in.

One parent, Chinda Buba, said the families still had no idea where the children were or whether they were healthy.

Another parent, Peace Nicolos, whose two young children are among those missing, said families were living in constant anxiety and struggling while waiting for their children to return.

For parents, the uncertainty is almost as painful as the abduction itself.

They do not know whether their children have enough food, whether they are receiving medical care or what conditions they are being held in.

Government Says the Military Is Handling the Situation

A police spokesperson told Reuters that the military was “on top of the situation” but directed further questions about the rescue operation to the military.

Reuters reported that a military spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

That lack of detailed public information has become a major source of frustration among affected families and community representatives.

Parents want to know what is being done, whether the children have been located and when they can realistically expect their children to return.

Senator Ndume Demands More Action

The concerns are not coming only from the families.

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, recently visited the Theatre Command of Operation Hadin Kai in Maiduguri and urged the military to intensify efforts to rescue the children and other people abducted in southern Borno.

Ndume specifically referred to victims from Mussa and Lassa, as well as other abducted residents and travellers.

He acknowledged the military's ongoing operations but said the length of time the victims had remained away from their families required greater efforts.

The Theatre Commander, Major General Abubakar Abdulsalam, reportedly assured the senator that the concerns had been noted and reaffirmed the military's commitment to its operations.

UNICEF Calls for Safe Return

The international concern over the missing children has also grown.

UNICEF has called on the Federal and Borno State governments to intensify efforts to secure the release of the 78 children abducted in the Mussa and Lassa attacks.

The organisation has also been working with the Borno State Government on safe-school measures.

But UNICEF acknowledged that the problem is connected to the broader security situation affecting the region.

The challenge is therefore not simply protecting one school.

It involves securing entire communities where armed groups can operate across difficult terrain and where security forces face the challenge of locating captives without putting their lives at additional risk.

Why the Abductions Are So Concerning

Borno has endured more than a decade of violence linked to Boko Haram and its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) offshoot.

Although the insurgency has weakened from its peak, attacks on civilians, schools and security forces continue in parts of the state.

The Mussa and Lassa abductions demonstrate how vulnerable rural educational institutions can remain.

Schools should provide children with a pathway to education and opportunity.

Instead, parents in the affected communities have been forced to worry about whether their children will return home at all.

Families Want More Than Assurances

For the affected parents, statements that security agencies are working on the situation provide little comfort without visible progress.

Families have previously expressed frustration over what they described as insufficient information about the rescue efforts.

A report published earlier this month documented parents describing the psychological toll of waiting for their children without knowing whether they were safe.

Civil society groups in Borno have also called for greater communication between authorities and families.

Their argument is straightforward: even when security operations cannot be discussed publicly for operational reasons, families should not be left completely in the dark.

What People Are Saying Online

The latest protest has generated strong reactions across social media, particularly around the length of time the children have remained missing.

A major theme is anger over the prolonged captivity.

Many Nigerians are asking why children abducted from schools have remained missing for so long while the government continues to assure the public that security agencies are working to rescue them.

Others are comparing the situation with the recent rescue of schoolchildren abducted in Oyo State, arguing that the successful return of those children should demonstrate that prolonged captivity does not have to become permanent. Reuters also referenced the Oyo rescue in its latest report.

Another group is calling for better communication from government and security agencies.

Some users are also warning against turning the suffering of the children and their families into a political argument, saying the immediate priority should be bringing the children home safely.

The strongest common thread is simple: people want the children back.

What Remains Unclear

Despite the growing public pressure, several important questions remain unanswered.

Authorities have not publicly provided a detailed account of where the children are believed to be held.

There is also limited publicly available information about the exact progress of rescue operations.

The number of children still missing has also been reported differently depending on the source and incident.

UNICEF refers to 78 children abducted in the two Borno attacks, while Reuters reports that approximately 45 children from the Mussa incident remain unaccounted for.

Those figures should therefore be presented carefully rather than treated as interchangeable.

The Human Cost

Behind the numbers are families who have spent months waiting for their children.

Parents have continued with daily life while carrying the uncertainty of not knowing whether their sons and daughters are safe.

For some families, classrooms that once represented hope and opportunity have become reminders of the day their children disappeared.

The longer the children remain missing, the greater the psychological burden on their families and communities.

A Call for Urgent Action

The latest protest is a reminder that the issue has not disappeared simply because the initial headlines have faded.

The children remain missing.

Their families remain without answers.

And the pressure on Nigerian authorities to secure their safe return is growing.

The military says operations against insurgents are continuing, while political representatives and UNICEF are calling for greater efforts.

But for the families gathered in Uba, the desired outcome is not another assurance.

It is the moment their children finally walk back through their doors.

Until that happens, the calls for action are unlikely to stop.

What People Are Saying

The online discussion is focused largely on five issues:

• Why are the children still missing after nearly 100 days?

• What progress has been made by security agencies?

• Why haven't families received more detailed updates?

• Can the rescue efforts used in other parts of Nigeria be replicated in Borno?

• What additional measures are needed to protect schools in conflict-affected communities?

There is also a strong call for people to avoid sharing unverified claims about the children's whereabouts or condition.

At this stage, the safest position is to rely on information from families, government agencies, UNICEF and established news organisations rather than social-media speculation.

Sources

• Reuters — latest report on the family protest, the May 15 abduction, the estimated 45 children still unaccounted for and the June 29 Lassa abduction.

• UNICEF / PUNCH — UNICEF's call for intensified efforts to secure the release of 78 abducted schoolchildren.

• The Sun Nigeria — Senator Ndume's appeal to the military concerning the Mussa and Lassa children.

• P.M. News / local reporting — Ndume's meeting with Operation Hadin Kai and his appeal for stronger rescue efforts.

• WANEP-Nigeria — documentation of the Mussa and Lassa school attacks and reported numbers of abducted children.