Borno Parents Give Tinubu Six-Day Ultimatum To Rescue Abducted Children

Parents and community leaders in Mussa and Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, have threatened to march to the Presidential Villa in Abuja if their children abducted by Boko Haram insurgents are not rescued within six days.

Naija News reports that the parents, who staged a protest in Askira/Uba on Monday, said the children had spent more than 130 days in captivity after they were abducted on May 15, 2026.

According to the families and school authorities, 44 children were taken from Mussa Ward, while another 36 were abducted from schools in Lassa.

The protesters expressed frustration over what they described as the government’s slow response to the prolonged captivity of the children.

The Chairman of the abducted pupils’ parents, Ishaku Suya, appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu to direct the security agencies to secure the children’s release.

Suya said, “I’m making this loudest call to Mr President that we, the parents of the abducted children of Mussa and Lassa, will take over the streets of the presidential villa if he doesn’t rescue our children as he rescued the Oyo children.

“You should either kill us, leave us alive, or rescue our children.”

The Borno children were abducted on the same day terrorists kidnapped more than 40 pupils and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. The Oyo victims were later rescued after spending 56 days in captivity.

A grieving mother, Josphin Yohanna, questioned why the government had not shown the same urgency in securing the release of the Borno children.

“Why shouldn’t the president extend similar urgency to our children in the northeast? We are equally Nigerians,” she asked.

The acting District Head of Lassa, Wadzani Hammatu, said some of the abducted children were very young, describing many of them as toddlers between one and three years old.

“We are pleading with the government to rescue our children because the issue is becoming unbearable. Only God will help us, but the government should try,” he said.

The Emir of Uba, Ali Samaila Mamza, also appealed to the Federal, Borno State and local governments to intensify efforts to secure the children’s safe return.

He said the affected communities had continued to rely on God while waiting for government intervention.

The member representing Askira/Uba and Hawul Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Midala Usman Balami, condemned what he described as the prolonged silence and lack of concrete action over the abduction.

Balami said the children had now spent more than four months in captivity.

“A week back, I organised a press conference with the intention of bringing the issue to the limelight, and we are talking with one voice: rescue our children,” he said.

The lawmaker said he had already raised the matter on the floor of the National Assembly and pledged to keep pressing for action.

He called on the Federal and state governments to deploy every available security resource to secure the victims.

Another parent, identified as Buba, said the families had heard enough assurances and were no longer prepared to remain silent.

“Our children were abducted at the same time as those of Oyo, but the Oyo children were rescued because they defied the government’s call to be patient, but ours remain in captivity,” he said.

Buba insisted that the parents would not withdraw their demand for urgent action.

“No going back on the six-day ultimatum. We were treated like foreigners in our own country for being law-abiding. Why?” he asked.