By: Gbenga Akingbule
Community leaders and relatives of the 42 pupils and students abducted from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on Saturday appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts towards securing the release of the children, warning that the prolonged wait is taking a heavy emotional toll on their parents..
Gatekeepers News reports that many of the parents, according to the cimmunity leaders are already running out of patience, as there has been no information regarding the whereabouts or condition of their children- between ages 2 and 16 since they were abducted by suspeted Boko Haram Terrorists on 15th May 2026.
Deputy Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly Hon Abdullahi Musa Askira led other community leaders to brief the press in Maiduguri , the state capital .
According to Hon Askira ” we have remained patient and silent for these past three weeks, firmly believing that the government and our gallant security forces were doing everything within their power to secure the swift rescue of our children. However, that patience is now eclipsed by deep anxiety and worry. Three weeks is an agonizingly long time for young, underaged children to be held in the wilderness, far from the warmth, protection, and comfort of their parents.
“At this critical juncture, we urgently appeal to the relevant authorities to intensify all rescue operations and deploy every available intelligence, kinetic, and non-kinetic option to secure the immediate and safe release of these children. Every hour in captivity is an hour too long.
” Furthermore, we must address the urgent need for a more robust security presence. Askira/Uba Local Government shares immediate borders with the fringes of the Sambisa Forest, which makes our communities uniquely vulnerable.
“Given this precarious geography, we request the immediate establishment of a permanent, fortified security architecture, including strengthened school perimeters, rapid response units like forward operation base, and sustained patrols to provide the protection our people desperately need.” Hon Askira said .
