Rep Urges FG To Rescue Abducted Borno Students. The lawmakers said the FG and security agencies must ensure that schools are safe and secure.
KaNo —
The House of Representatives on Tuesday called on the Federal Government and security agencies to immediately secure the release of 42 schoolchildren abducted from Mussa Ward in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, while urging the implementation of a comprehensive national framework to protect schools across the country.
The call followed the consideration of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the member representing Askira-Uba/Hawul Federal Constituency, Mr Midala Balami
Presenting the motion, Balami expressed concern over the abduction of the pupils and the growing pattern of attacks on schools and communities, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to education and national security.
He further noted that the protection of pupils, students, educational personnel and school communities remains “a fundamental responsibility of government at all levels.”
The lawmaker recalled previous mass abductions in Borno State, including the kidnapping of the Chibok schoolgirls in 2014, many of whom are still unaccounted for, as well as the abduction of hundreds of residents from Ngoshe and attacks along the Biu-Buratai Road and other communities.
“The House is concerned that the recurring attacks on schools and communities continue to threaten access to education, endanger lives, traumatise families, disrupt livelihoods, and undermine public confidence in the capacity of government to guarantee security,” he said
Balami further warned that persistent insecurity has deepened fears among residents and contributed to declining school enrolment and attendance in vulnerable communities.
“The urgent need for decisive and coordinated action to safeguard schools, restore public confidence, and secure the release of all abducted persons,” he added
He drew attention to growing public frustration over the handling of insecurity, observing that many communities were demanding concrete results rather than official assurances.
“Communities are increasingly losing confidence in government responses to insecurity and economic hardship, and are demanding visible and concrete actions rather than repeated assurances,” he stated
The motion comes against the backdrop of recurring attacks on educational institutions in Nigeria’s North-East and North-West regions, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted schools, students and teachers.
The abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in April 2014 remains one of the most notorious incidents and sparked global outrage.
Since then, several mass kidnappings have occurred in different parts of the country despite government efforts to strengthen school security.
Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Government and relevant security agencies to “take immediate and decisive action” to rescue the 42 abducted schoolchildren from Mussa Ward and all other persons currently being held in captivity.
Lawmakers also called for “stronger security around schools in Borno State and other high-risk areas through enhanced deployment of security personnel, improved intelligence gathering and effective rapid-response mechanisms.
House further advocated the expansion of school protection initiatives, including early warning systems, community-based security arrangements, security awareness programmes and improved surveillance infrastructure around schools.
As part of its resolutions, the House mandated its Committees on National Security, Defence, Basic Education and Legislative Compliance to engage relevant security agencies and report back on measures taken to secure the release of abductees and improve security around schools nationwide.
The lawmakers also called on the Federal Government to develop and implement a comprehensive Safe Schools Security Framework aimed at protecting students, teachers and educational institutions from future attacks.
“The safety of our children and the protection of education must remain a national priority. Our children deserve to learn in an environment free from fear, and our citizens deserve the assurance that government will act decisively to protect lives and property. The time for action is now,” Balami said
Borno Residents Slam FG Over Silence On Abducted Students
Residents of Borno State have expressed concern over the federal government’s silence since the abduction of 42 primary and junior secondary school students in the Mussa community, Askira Uba Local Government Area of the state.
The residents noted that the government had prioritised a similar incident in Oyo State, where pupils and teachers were kidnapped, while downplaying the abduction in the state.
Expert Condemns FG Non Chalant Attitude
Speaking on the issue, the Chairman of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in the state, Abubakar Suleiman, said the federal government is not fair to the victims of both incidents.
“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” he said
In the case of Borno, around 416 people were kidnapped in Ngoshe on the 3rd of May. There has not been any federal government intervention. We also had another incident on the 16 of May; 42 students were kidnapped in Askira Uba.
There was no federal government delegation. This doesn’t demonstrate that the federal government is treating victims equally,” Suleiman added.
He, however, called on the government to intensify search and rescue operations for all the victims in captivity.
“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,” Suleiman added.
A prominent political analyst in the state, Abubakar Kareto, also echoed similar sentiments while condemning the attacks.
“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
He said that, however, a visible and unsettling imbalance exists in how the federal government responded to these two attacks, for vindication.
“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.
