Nearly 100 days after their children were taken from their classrooms, families in Borno State have taken to the streets to demand urgent action from the Nigerian government.
Parents and relatives of the abducted pupils staged a protest in Uba town on Thursday, carrying placards and appealing to authorities to secure the safe return of their children.
The protest came as families said they were still without reliable information about the whereabouts or condition of the children.
Families left waiting
The first group of pupils was abducted on May 15, when gunmen stormed classrooms in Mussa, a community close to the Sambisa Forest, a known stronghold of Islamist insurgents.
Community representatives say about 45 children from Mussa remain missing.
The crisis deepened on June 29 when another school in nearby Lassa was attacked. Thirty-six students and a teacher were taken and, according to the available information, remain in captivity.
For the families, the passage of time has only increased the fear and uncertainty.
Chinda Buba, whose child was among those taken from Mussa, said parents had received no clear information about their children’s whereabouts.
“We still have not seen them,” he said.
Buba said families did not know whether the children were safe, receiving adequate food or being subjected to harsh conditions.
‘We worry every day’
Peace Nicolos, whose two children, aged three and eight, are among those missing, described the situation as unbearable for families.
She said parents were living with constant anxiety while struggling with the emotional and financial consequences of the abductions.
Her appeal was simple: the government should find the children and bring them home.
Community representative Orbet Lawan Yakubu, who speaks for the traditional ruler of Mussa, put the scale of the crisis at about 45 children still unaccounted for.
He said the abductions had affected virtually the entire community because almost every family had some connection to those taken.
Security assurances fail to ease fears
A police spokesperson said the military was handling the situation but declined to provide further details, directing questions to the armed forces.
The military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The lack of information has added to the frustration of families who have spent weeks waiting for news.
The abductions have also renewed concerns about the safety of schools in northeastern Nigeria, where Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province, have continued to attack civilians, schools and security personnel despite years of military operations.
Although the insurgency is weaker than it was at its peak, communities in Borno and neighbouring states remain vulnerable to attacks and kidnappings.
A crisis beyond one community
The Mussa and Lassa abductions are part of a wider pattern of attacks on schools and children across Nigeria.
In July, authorities announced the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted from schools in Oyo State after they had spent nearly two months in captivity.
But for the families in Borno, there has been no such relief.
With the children approaching 100 days in captivity, parents are increasingly demanding answers, stronger rescue efforts and regular communication from the authorities.
For families like Nicolos’s, every passing day carries the same painful question: where are the children, and when are they coming home?
