… … Demands Equal Rescue Effort for Borno Schoolchildren.
By: Babagana Bukar Wakil, Maiduguri
The Northeast Network for Civil Society has raised the alarm over what it describes as a troubling disparity in the Federal Government’s response to recent mass abductions of women and children across Nigeria, calling for immediate and equal action to rescue all victims regardless of region.
Speaking on behalf of the network, its Chairman, Ambassador Ahmed Shehu, in a statement signed and made available to newsmen in Maiduguri, expressed deep concern that three months after 416 women and children were abducted in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, following terrorist invasions of the community, the victims remain in captivity with little visible federal intervention.
“It has been 16 days since kidnappers abducted 46 primary school pupils along with their principal in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. Within the same period, 42 school children were also abducted from Musa Primary School in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State,” Ambassador Shehu stated.
He noted that despite the scale of these incidents, there had been no formal press statement or high level delegation visit from the Presidency until social media influencers and media activists pressured the Federal Government to act.
“We are angry, and we have questions. Does this mean some Nigerian children are more precious than others? Does it mean children from the North East are considered less Nigerian than those from the South?” Ambassador Shehu asked.
He questioned why the Federal Government could deploy a full security team to Oyo State with a commitment to remain on ground until the children were rescued, yet a similar response had not been extended to Borno State, the home state of the Vice President.
“If the same abduction happened in Northern Nigeria, would the Federal Government deploy this exact team? How many times has this happened in the North, and how many times have we witnessed this level of response?” he asked.
According to Ambassador Shehu, ordinary Nigerians in Kano, Katsina, Zamfara, and Borno are being asked to accept what he described as selective sympathy from the state. He commended the advocates and citizens who continue to speak out against the abductions, while also questioning the silence of elected representatives and opposition figures on the Borno incident.
The network acknowledged the Borno State Government for sending a delegation to console the affected families of Musa community but stressed that consolation without rescue is inadequate.
Aligning with the Network of Civil Society Organizations in Borno State, Ambassador Shehu called on the Federal Government to immediately deploy the same high level security team sent to Oyo State to Borno State without further delay, insisting that sixteen days is already too long and that no further excuses should be entertained. He also demanded daily public briefings from the Presidency and security agencies on the progress of rescue efforts for all abducted children in both the North and the South, stressing that transparency is essential to restoring public confidence.
Ambassador Shehu further called for an end to regional bias in national security response, maintaining that what is good for one part of the country must be good for the other. He urged the Federal Government to move the Safe Schools Declaration from paper to action by providing enhanced and urgent protection for every school in conflict affected and high risk communities, warning that classrooms must no longer remain soft targets for terrorists and kidnappers.
“Our children are not bargaining chips. They are not statistics. Every child, whether in Borno, Oyo, or Zamfara, deserves the full force of the Nigerian state,” Ambassador Shehu concluded.
#BringBackOurChildren #16DaysTooLong #AllChildrenMatter #SafeSchoolsNow #Ngoshe416 #BornoCSOUnited
About The Author
