130 Days in Captivity: Borno Parents Threaten Abuja Protest
Parents of 80 children abducted from Mussa and Lassa communities in Borno State have threatened to protest at the Presidential Villa if their children are not rescued within six days.
The children have spent more than 130 days in Boko Haram captivity after they were abducted during separate attacks in Askira/Uba Local Government Area on May 15, 2026.
According to parents and school authorities, 44 children were taken from Mussa Ward, while another 36 were abducted from schools in Lassa.
The families made the threat on Monday during a protest in Askira/Uba, where they expressed frustration over what they described as the government’s failure to secure the release of their children.
The abduction occurred on the same day terrorists kidnapped more than 40 students and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
While the Oyo victims were rescued after spending 56 days in captivity, the Borno children have remained with their abductors for more than four months.
Ishaku Suya, chairman of the parents of the abducted pupils, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the children.
Suya said the parents would take their protest to Abuja if the government failed to secure their children’s release within six days.
Another parent, Josphin Yohanna, questioned why the Federal Government had not shown the same urgency in Borno as it did during the Oyo abduction.
She said the rescue of the Oyo victims showed that the government had the capacity to respond decisively to kidnapping cases.
The acting district head of Lassa, Wadzani Hammatu, said the prolonged captivity had become unbearable for the affected communities.
He said some of the abducted children were toddlers between one and three years old.
The Emir of Uba, Ali Samaila Mamza, appealed to the federal, state and local governments to strengthen efforts to secure the safe return of the children.
Dr Midala Usman Balami, member of the House of Representatives representing Askira/Uba and Hawul Federal Constituency, said the abduction had already been raised at the National Assembly.
Balami said he had organised a press conference on the matter and moved a motion concerning the children’s continued captivity.
He urged the Federal and Borno State governments to deploy available security resources to rescue the victims.
Another parent, Buba, said the families could no longer remain silent after more than four months without their children.
He insisted that the six-day ultimatum remained in place, accusing the government of treating the Borno victims differently from the Oyo children.
As of press time, the Presidency had not issued an official response to the parents’ ultimatum.
Meanwhile, residents of farming communities in Borgu and Agwara Local Government Areas of Niger State blocked the Mokwa-New Bussa Road on Monday to protest persistent terrorist attacks.
The protest was organised by the Borgu Youth Federation, with members of several community associations and the National Union of Road Transport Workers participating.
The protesters blocked the Bussa roundabout, a major entry point into Borgu Kingdom, from about 5:30am despite the rainfall.
The action left commuters travelling towards New Bussa and Agwara from the Mokwa axis stranded.
Aliyu Abdulmajeed, auditor of the Borgu Youth Federation, said the protest followed growing anger over attacks on communities in Borgu and Agwara.
He also criticised an alleged statement by Niger State Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago that only 30 people were kidnapped during recent attacks on worshippers.
Abdulmajeed claimed about 500 worshippers were abducted during attacks on Jumaat mosques in Dekara, Gbezhin, Sabon-Gida and Kpenya on August 21.
He said the victims had remained in captivity for about three weeks while attacks on surrounding communities continued.
The community leader further alleged that 30 of the abducted persons were killed and their bodies later retrieved and buried.
He said residents had repeatedly appealed to government authorities over the deteriorating security situation.
Abdulmajeed also alleged that attacks had contributed to clashes between farmers and herders in Agwara, with eight people reportedly killed within two weeks.
He said hundreds of residents had been displaced, while an attack on Guchana community left about 30 vigilantes injured.
According to him, the injured vigilantes were receiving treatment from traditional medicine practitioners because of the lack of modern healthcare facilities in the area.
The chairman of Borgu Local Government Area, Mohammed Nasir Abdullahi, said security personnel had been deployed to the area to prevent further attacks.
He said the deployment followed appeals by the Niger State Government to the Federal Government after terrorists attacked worshippers in several communities on August 21.
The attackers reportedly abducted an unspecified number of worshippers during the attacks and later killed 30 of those taken captive.
