By Oluwakemi Kindness
The Hawu/Askira-Uba Elders Forum and a federal lawmaker have called for urgent action to rescue children and other residents abducted in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
They said some of the victims have spent more than 100 days in captivity, leaving families in prolonged fear and uncertainty.
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Secretary of the Hawu/Askira-Uba Elders Forum, Mala Gadzama, said 42 pupils were abducted from Mussa Primary School on May 15, 2026 same day as the Oyo schol incident.
He said another 36 students were abducted from a school in Lassa on June 29 while writing their NECO examinations.
Gadzama also called for the rescue of 38 people reportedly abducted along the Buratai Road, as well as other victims taken along the Chibok and Gwoza routes.
He appealed to President Bola Tinubu and Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, to deploy all available security and intelligence resources to secure the victims’ release.
Gadzama also demanded regular updates for affected families and stronger security around schools, major roads and vulnerable communities.
He commended the successful rescue of abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State but questioned why similar urgency had not been applied to the Borno victims.
Gadzama said the community was not seeking preferential treatment but **equal protection for all Nigerians**.
Also speaking, the member representing Askira-Uba/Hawul Federal Constituency, Representative Midala Balami, said he had raised the abductions on the floor of the House of Representatives as a matter of urgent public importance.
Balami said he had continued to push the government to deploy the resources needed to rescue the victims.
He described the prolonged captivity as devastating for affected families and questioned whether the victims’ location near the Sambisa Forest had reduced the urgency of government action.
The lawmaker said the community welcomed the rescue of victims in Oyo State and was not comparing the victims.
He, however, demanded that the same level of intelligence, coordination and resources used in Oyo State be deployed to rescue those still held in Borno.
Balami said the long-running insecurity in Borno should attract greater government attention, not less.
The stakeholders said families and community members had organised prayers and protests in Maiduguri and Abuja to draw attention to the victims’ plight.
They urged the Federal Government and security agencies to make the rescue of the abducted persons an urgent national priority.
