The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expresses grave concern over the continued captivity of 42 schoolchildren abducted from Primary and Junior Secondary Schools in Mussa, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.
Three weeks after this shocking mass abduction, the silence surrounding the fate of these innocent children remains both disturbing and unacceptable. The Federal Government, security agencies and relevant authorities must treat this tragedy with the urgency it deserves and immediately coordinate all available security resources to secure the safe rescue of the children.
HURIWA notes with deep concern that among the abductees are toddlers between the ages of two and four years, making the incident one of the most heartbreaking attacks on vulnerable children in recent times.
The apparent disparity in public attention and official response between the Askira-Uba abduction and similar incidents elsewhere in the country raises troubling questions about equity, justice and the value placed on the lives of Nigerian children regardless of their geographical location.
Every Nigerian child matters. Every Nigerian child deserves protection.
We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Defence Minister, the Inspector-General of Police and all relevant security agencies to intensify rescue operations and ensure the immediate release of the abducted children.
The Federal Government must also provide regular updates to the public on efforts being made to secure their freedom and reassure distraught families that their children have not been forgotten.
EDUCATION MUST BE PROTECTED
HURIWA welcomes the recent statement by the Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (rtd) that education remains one of the most effective tools for combating terrorism, violent extremism and radicalisation.
While we agree that access to quality education is essential in defeating ignorance and extremism, we stress that education can only flourish where schools, teachers and students are adequately protected.
It is contradictory to encourage school enrollment while educational institutions continue to remain vulnerable targets for terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements.
The government must therefore move beyond rhetoric and immediately implement robust security measures for schools nationwide, particularly in conflict-prone and high-risk communities.
These measures should include:
Deployment of specialised security personnel to vulnerable schools;
Establishment of rapid-response security units around educational institutions;
Installation of modern surveillance and early warning systems;
Strengthening intelligence gathering in communities facing security threats;
Improved coordination among military, police, civil defence and local vigilante groups;
Expansion of the Safe Schools Initiative across all states of the federation.
INCORPORATE HOME EDUCATION INTO NATIONAL POLICY
Given the persistent security threats facing educational institutions in many parts of the country, HURIWA also urges the Federal Government to formally incorporate structured home education and remote learning options into Nigeria’s broader educational framework.
Such alternatives would ensure that children in communities affected by terrorism, insurgency, banditry and kidnapping do not lose access to education while security challenges persist.
The adoption of a regulated home education policy, supported by digital learning platforms and community-based educational centres, will provide parents with safe alternatives where conventional schooling becomes temporarily unsafe.
RESCUE OF ADELABU’S SISTER AND CHILDREN
HURIWA commends the Nigeria Police Force for the successful rescue of the sister of former Minister of Power, Chief Adegoke Adelabu, and her twin children after their abduction.
While this operation demonstrates that effective security interventions are possible, it also raises legitimate concerns about whether the same level of urgency and resources are deployed when victims are ordinary citizens without political influence or social status.
Security and justice must never be determined by social standing, political connections or economic privilege.
Every Nigerian life carries equal value under the Constitution.
OUR DEMAND
HURIWA therefore demands:
Immediate rescue and safe return of the abducted Askira-Uba schoolchildren.
Comprehensive security protection for schools nationwide.
Full implementation of the Safe Schools Initiative.
Inclusion of home education and alternative learning systems in Nigeria’s educational framework.
Equal and non-discriminatory security response to all kidnapping and abduction cases across the federation.
Regular public briefing on efforts to rescue the Borno schoolchildren.
Nigeria cannot claim to be winning the war against terrorism while schoolchildren continue to be abducted from classrooms.
The safety of our children is non-negotiable. The time for decisive action is now.
Signed:
Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko
National Coordinator, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA)
9 June 2026
