Children Still Missing as UN Demands Immediate Action Over Oyo, Borno School Abductions

Children Still Missing as UN Demands Immediate Action Over Oyo, Borno School Abductions

The United Nations has called for the immediate and safe release of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in recent attacks in Oyo and Borno States, as concern intensifies over the safety of learning environments across Nigeria.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Malick Fall, made the appeal following a meeting with the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre in Abuja.

He said the situation reflects a disturbing pattern of attacks on schools and warned that such incidents threaten both education and child protection.

Fall stressed that schools must remain safe spaces for learning and should never become targets of violence.

He urged authorities to accelerate efforts to secure the release of all abducted victims and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.

In Oyo State, armed attackers reportedly invaded three schools in Oriire Local Government Area on May 15, abducting more than 40 pupils and seven teachers. Two teachers were killed during the incident.

A similar attack occurred in Borno State, where gunmen stormed schools in Mussa community and abducted over 40 children, many of them toddlers between the ages of two and five.

The incidents have sparked renewed concern among policymakers and education stakeholders, with calls for stronger protection of schools located in vulnerable and remote areas.

In response, the Oyo State House of Assembly rejected proposals to negotiate with the attackers, instead demanding intensified rescue operations and comprehensive security audits of schools near forests and border communities.

Parents of abducted children in Borno say they are still living in fear and uncertainty, weeks after the incident, with no confirmed updates on the whereabouts or condition of their children.

Security authorities, however, maintain that rescue operations are ongoing and guided by intelligence, insisting that decisions on timing are critical to ensuring the safe return of hostages.

The federal government has reiterated its commitment to securing the release of the victims, saying all relevant security and intelligence agencies have been mobilised to respond to the crisis.