56 days and counting — Borno parents demand action as Oyo children freed

Bukar Buba, a parent whose six-year-old daughter was kidnapped from Mussa in Borno State on May 15, is furious. While the Oyo State schoolchildren and teachers abducted the same day were released on July 10 after 56 days in captivity, his child and over 50 others from three schools in Mussa are still missing. Buba told BBC News Pidgin, "All the days we live and not see our children we no happy, we no know how them dey survive inside bush, especially for this rainy season. We don cry and beg government to help rescue our children, but up till now, we no hear anything about their release."

The Borno State Commissioner of Education met with parents two weeks ago and told them to be patient while negotiations were ongoing — negotiations that parents believe involve ransom payments, despite the 2022 law criminalizing such payments. Meanwhile, the children, most between two and five years old, were taken from Government Day Secondary School, Mussa Central Primary School, and SUBEB Secondary School. Witnesses say the gunmen used the children as human shields as they escaped on motorcycles, preventing security forces from firing back.

No group has claimed responsibility for the Borno attack, though some reports suggest Boko Haram's involvement. The police spokesperson for Borno State, Nahum Daso, confirmed the children are still in captivity. So the question remains: why is the rescue of one set of children prioritized over another? Be honest — do you think the government is treating these cases differently because of the media attention Oyo received?