Residents of Borno State have criticised the Federal Government over what they describe as a lack of urgency in responding to the abduction of dozens of schoolchildren in the state.
The residents expressed concern over the government’s silence since the kidnapping of 48 primary and junior secondary school pupils from Mussa community in Askira Uba Local Government Area, arguing that the response has fallen short compared to actions taken following a similar incident in Oyo State.
Speaking to journalists on Monday, Chairman of the Civil Society Organisations in Borno State, Abubakar Suleiman, said the Federal Government appeared to be treating the two incidents differently.
According to him, a high-powered federal delegation, including the National Security Adviser, the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Staff to the President, visited Oyo State after the abduction of pupils and teachers there.
“The federal government visited Oyo State with a high-powered delegation, including the National Security Adviser, Minister of Defense, Chief of Staff to the President, among others, with a helicopter and landed at the local government where the abduction took place,” Suleiman said.
He noted that despite the kidnapping of hundreds of residents in Ngoshe on May 3 and the abduction of students in Askira Uba on May 16, no similar federal intervention had been witnessed in Borno.
“This doesn’t demonstrate that the federal government is treating victims equally without any discrimination,” he said.
Suleiman urged authorities to intensify search and rescue efforts and engage directly with affected families.
“Our call is for the government to intensify the search, to come and interact with parents and assure them that their children will be united with them as soon as possible. They should also provide us with updates on the issue and let us know when the children are coming back,” he added.
A political analyst, Abubakar Kareto, also condemned the attacks, describing both the Askira Uba and Oyo abductions as evidence that rural schools remain vulnerable targets for criminal and insurgent groups.
“Both abductions of the 42 pupils from the Mussa community in Askira Uba, Borno State, taken by Boko Haram insurgents, and the Oriire in Oyo State, where 46 students and teachers were taken, are heartbreaking reminders that rural schools remain highly vulnerable soft targets and are exposing how unsafe it is to send kids to school in Nigeria,” he said.
Kareto argued that the Federal Government’s response to the two incidents appeared uneven.
“The Oyo State attack also occurred on the very day that of Askira Uba. While the government launched a rapid, high-profile response to the Oyo incident, including a federal visit led by the Chief of Staff and accompanied by the National Security Adviser, which also followed with a decision to immediately deploy 1,000 forest guards, the Borno abduction has mostly received standard rhetorical condemnations with no visible energy that can be compared in any way to the Oyo State incident,” he said.
He warned that such disparities could leave affected communities feeling neglected and called on President Bola Tinubu and military authorities to apply the same level of urgency and resources to securing the release of the Borno pupils.
“Therefore, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the military high command should deploy the exact intensity of kinetic and intelligence resources to safely rescue the Askira Uba children. This will make everyone, not only the victim, feel belonged,” he stated.
Meanwhile, President of the Borno South Youths Alliance Forum, Samaila Kaigama, urged political leaders in the state to adopt the proactive approach demonstrated by their counterparts in the South-West in advocating for the safe return of abducted victims.
