"87 Days in Captivity”: Borno Parents Plead for Help to Rescue Abducted Mussa Schoolchildren

By Victor Idajil

It has been 87 days since gunmen attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba, Borno State, and the families of the abducted pupils say the pain is only getting worse.

The raid happened on Friday, May 15, 2026, around 9:00 a.m. Armed insurgents stormed the school and took away pupils some of them toddlers  along with teachers. They left behind empty classrooms and shattered homes.

Since that morning, parents say they have received no official update on the whereabouts or condition of their children.

  
Mr. Sale Buba, a parent, said the uncertainty has broken many families.

“Nearly three months now, the psychological toll of uncertainty we endure is still haunting us. We live in constant fear,” he said.  
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction, and no ransom demand has been made.

“Our wives cry every day, and barely sleep at night. We constantly think about their conditions under captivity,” Buba added.  
“Each time it rains, my wife cries like a baby, thinking about the condition of her little children under the heavy rainfall.”

Josphin Yohanna, a mother, described the situation as a calamity.  
“Many families were left anxious, no government visit, no update, or visible efforts to rescue our children,” she said.  
“When officials told us to be patient, we thought by now our children would be home. But it feels like a forgotten issue. For how long should we continue waiting without any update?”

Ishaya Suya, chairman of the parents’ forum, said living without the children is torture.  
“We do not know if our children are safe, if they are fed, or what condition they are in, especially in this rainy season,” he said.

He drew a comparison to the Orire school abduction in Oyo State, where pupils were rescued within two weeks and the attackers were later convicted.  
“Their governor didn’t rest. Today, their children are not only released, but the perpetrators were convicted. Unfortunately, we are here begging to know the fates of our children, but nobody is saying anything,” Suya said.

 
Peter Haruna Waba, councillor for Mussa ward, confirmed the children are still in captivity and no group has claimed responsibility.  
“We were confused about the situation. Nobody believes that these children will remain in captivity until this time. This is a calamity,” he said.  
He noted that the Commissioner for Education visited on behalf of the governor and promised efforts were ongoing, but urged government to do more to secure their release.

The Borno State Network of Civil Society Organisations condemned the silence from both state and federal authorities.  
“It is completely unacceptable for parents and guardians to be kept entirely in the dark, left with zero information regarding the health, safety, and overall condition of their children,” said the coalition’s chairman, Abubakar Suleiman.  

He called for more aggressive rescue operations and for officials to directly engage families.  
Suleiman also appealed to the abductors to release the children unconditionally, saying: “These children already come from underprivileged backgrounds... for them to now be subjected to this excruciating and terrifying ordeal is beyond unfortunate.

A security officer involved in the early operations explained that a rescue mission days after the abduction ended in disaster.  
A joint team of soldiers, hunters and vigilantes entered a forest and found phones charging in an abandoned mosque. The officer said it was a trap.  
On their way out, the team was ambushed. The insurgents seized two military trucks and seven motorcycles.  

“The militants possess superior knowledge of the terrain, are heavily armed and use psychological traps that turn search missions into lethal ambushes. This has left the security forces severely outmatched in the dense forest,” he said.

When contacted, Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science and Innovation, Engr. Abba Lawan Wakilbe, declined to comment, stating: “It’s a security matter, so contact the security agencies.”

Security expert Maj. Gen. Umar I. Mohammed urged the Federal Government to apply the same urgency to Mussa as it did to Orire in Oyo.  
“All Nigerians should be treated the same. The same level of commitment, zeal and interest should be shown whenever there is a crisis anywhere in the country,” he said.

Public affairs analyst Alhaji Ahmadu Ibrahim also questioned the difference in response, asking why Orire pupils were rescued while the Mussa children remain missing.