Concerned elders and families from Borno State have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Babagana Umara Zulum to intensify efforts to rescue dozens of schoolchildren and other residents abducted in different parts of the state.

The appeal was made on their behalf by the secretary of the Hawul Askira-Uba Elders Forum, Malla Gadzama at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, where the group marked what it described as 100 days of “horror, pain and suffering” for families of the abducted persons.

The forum said families of the victims had endured prolonged anguish and uncertainty following the abductions, describing the continued captivity of the victims for 100 days as unacceptable.

Among those whose rescue the group demanded are 42 pupils and students of Mussa Primary and Junior Day Secondary School, who were reportedly abducted on May 15, 2026, in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of the state.

The group also demanded the rescue of 36 students of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, who were reportedly abducted on June 29 while writing their National Examinations Council (NECO) examination.

It further called for the rescue of 38 persons reportedly abducted along Buratai Road to Maiduguri, as well as other victims abducted along the Chibok route and other vulnerable roads across the state.

The forum said the victims should not be treated as “mere statistics,” stressing that every abducted person represented a family suffering from uncertainty over the safety and whereabouts of their loved ones.

They appealed directly to President Tinubu, as commander-in-chief, to mobilise available national security resources towards securing the release of the abducted children and other victims.

“Mr President, please bring our children home,” the group pleaded, and urged the federal government to treat the situation as an urgent national priority.

The group acknowledged the security challenges confronting the country and the sacrifices of security personnel, but argued that the continued captivity of innocent children and civilians should not be allowed to become unresolved cases.

The elders also called on Governor Zulum to use the full weight of his office to press for the immediate rescue of the abducted persons.

The forum cited the rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oyo State as evidence that coordinated security operations could secure the release of abducted students.

While commending the federal government and security agencies for the rescue of the Oyo victims, they, however, asked why similar urgency had not been applied to the abducted children and residents in Borno.

“We are not asking for a preferential treatment. We are asking for equal protection under the law. We are asking for the same urgency. We are asking for the same determination,” the group said, demanding regular and credible communication with the affected families on rescue efforts. (Weekend Trust)

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