Sixty-four days have passed since the abduction of the 42 school pupils in Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. The children, including toddlers, were abducted on May 15, 2026, from their classrooms in their community located on the fringes of the dreaded Sambisa Forest. The children who were abducted on the same day as the Oriire pupils have since remained in captivity. Following the rescue of the Oriire pupils and teachers, parents of the Mussa pupils have been anxious hoping that their children will follow suit. However, not much was heard from the authourities on the matter, Weekend Trust gathered. The families of the pupils say they fear that the fate of their children may be like that of the abducted Chibok girls, who till date have not all returned. But speaking with Weekend Trust yesterday, the federal government said it was working hard to rescue the Mussa pupils. It said it treats all parts of Nigeria equally and will ensure that the children are reunited with their parents as soon as possible. “We all feel abandoned. It’s as if our children don’t matter. We have no one to stand for us. Funtua-Gidan Mutum daya road: Journeying through a death trap AKK: 6 years, multiple deadlines, no gas “What can we do. asked the chairman of the abducted children’s parents, Mr Ishaku Suya. He lamented that the Mussa pupils were abducted the same day as the Oyo school children and teachers, but that the incident in the South got more attention, which according to him may have aided the rescue of the children and teachers. “I have never seen such attention, zeal, and commitment by our security forces. The president made sure that all the Oyo school children and teachers were rescued unhurt. “But, as it is now, we don’t know the whereabouts of our children,” he said. Another parent, Sale Buba, said, “We all thought the president would, after the rescue of Oyo school children, give the same matching order to the security forces to rescue our children. Unfortunately, nobody is talking about it. The state and the federal government have remained quiet over the issue,” he said. Buba appealed to the abductors to come out and claim responsibility, saying maybe that will assist the government in its rescue efforts. “We are tired of the suspense; tell us the reason for abducting the toddlers and present your demands,” he said. Another parent, Josephine Yohanna, whose three-year-old child was among those abducted by the gunmen, noted that for the past nine weeks, the pain of living without her child has been immense. “In this rainy season. I wonder if our children are sick, healthy, dead, or alive,” she said. Speaking further, “When the government officials came, they told us to be patient, that they were working to rescue them. For how long should we continue waiting without any update?” Most of the parents interviewed were of the view that the abductors of their children could be in the Sambisa forest or around the Mandara mountains. “They are holding our children close to us, but we have not seen any security improvement in our area. Also, we do not know if there was any deployment of a special squad for a rescue operation. “Two weeks ago, six women and two toddlers were kidnapped on their farm. Also, two men were abducted by terrorists, who demanded N2 million; all in Mussa,” said another parent, Umar Ali. Ali said the parents, especially mothers are very worried over the development. “We thank the government for its efforts, but let the security agencies act and rescue our innocent children,” he pleaded. While the community acknowledges the efforts of the Borno State government through the Commissioner for Education, they argue that the federal government has been largely absent. The councillor representing Mussa Ward, Peter Haruna Waba, said the lack of progress in tracing the children is confusing. “We find ourselves in a sad and confusing situation. 42 children have been missing for 64 days without a single trace,” he said. He urged the parents to remain calm, as the state government is doing its best to secure the children’s release. “The Commissioner for Education was in our community on behalf of the governor, and he gave us hope that they would do everything possible to ensure that our children return safely,” he said. When contacted, the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science and Innovation, Engr Abba Lawan Wakilbe, said he would not comment because it’s a security issue. “I can’t tell you beyond what you know; it’s a security matter. So, contact the security, please,” he said. We’re yet to see FG’s effort – CSO’s The Chairman of Borno State Network of Civil Society Organizations, Comrade Abubakar Suleiman, described the development as unfortunate. He wondered that the Mussa pupils who were abducted on the same day as those in Oriire in Oyo State, were still in captivity. “
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