The rescue of 44 pupils and teachers abducted in Oyo State after 56 days in captivity has sparked fresh pressure on President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to launch similar operations to free hundreds of other schoolchildren, women and other Nigerians still being held by terrorists across the country.
Families of abducted victims, Northern Elders Forum, Arewa Consultative Forum, religious and community leaders, and opposition politicians urged the Federal Government to replicate the intelligence-led operation that secured the release of the Oyo victims in Borno, Kwara, Kaduna and other states, where scores of victims have remained in captivity for months.
The renewed calls followed Friday’s announcement by security agencies that all the schoolchildren and teachers abducted during coordinated attacks on three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15 had regained their freedom without the payment of ransom.
The operation, described by security authorities as intelligence-led and jointly executed by the military, the Department of State Services and the police, has been widely hailed as evidence that coordinated security efforts can deliver results when backed by political will and effective intelligence.
But even as Nigerians celebrated the breakthrough, attention quickly shifted to dozens of other abducted victims across the country whose families say they are still waiting for their safe return.
Borno victims’ families plead for equal attention
In Borno State, where 78 students remain in captivity following separate Boko Haram attacks on schools in Askira/Uba Local Government Area, parents said the Oyo rescue had rekindled hope but also deepened their frustration over what they described as prolonged silence regarding their children’s fate.
On May 15, suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, abducting 42 pupils.
Barely six weeks later, on June 29, terrorists again invaded Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in the same local government area, abducting 36 students and a teacher.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH on behalf of the affected families, Ibrahim Millam, whose daughter, Esther Ibrahim, is among the students abducted in Lassa, said the parents had received no meaningful update from the authorities since the attack.
He said the prolonged silence from security agencies had left the families devastated.
“Since they took my daughter, Esther, and her fellow students, we have not received any information.
“It has been silence; no information about their whereabouts. We commend the Federal Government for rescuing the Oyo students. Please, our children should not be allowed to die in captivity. They are our hope. We are not at peace in our homes,” Millam said.
Another resident of the Mussa community, Sani Abdullahi, told Sunday PUNCH that the continued captivity of the pupils had thrown many families into emotional turmoil.“It is unfortunate that our children are still in captivity after almost two months. Parents are losing hope. If you visit the families now, it is tears upon tears.
“As a community, we don’t even know where to start anymore or who will come to our aid,” he said.
According to him, community leaders had repeatedly reached out to the relevant authorities without tangible results.
“We have held meetings and sent our pleas through representatives to the government, yet there has been continued silence. All we get is assurance. When are they coming back?” Abdullahi asked.
Rescue all abductees – ACF, NEF
The Arewa Consultative Forum, on its part, urged Tinubu to intensify efforts to secure the release of all Nigerians still in captivity across the country, saying the successful rescue of abducted Oyo pupils and teachers should mark the beginning of a sustained nationwide campaign against kidnappers.
The northern socio-political organisation said that while it welcomed the freedom of the Oyo victims, thousands of families in Borno, Kaduna, Kwara, Zamfara and other states were still anxiously awaiting the return of their loved ones.
–PUNCH
