Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Middle Belt Forum has called on the Federal Government to fulfill its constitutional responsibility by intensifying rescue operations for all citizens still held by terrorists, including the schoolchildren of Mussa, Lassa, Shikarkir, Ariko, Awon and every other forgotten community across Nigeria. In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, by its spokesman, Luka Binniyat, the Forum commended the successful rescue of schoolchildren and teachers abducted in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State but stressed that similar efforts must be extended to other victims still in captivity. The group cited Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 Constitution, which states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government, adding that every Nigerian, regardless of ethnicity, religion or location, deserves equal protection.
The MBF expressed concern that while the nation rallied support for the Oyo victims, the fate of other abducted persons in parts of Borno and Kaduna states had received limited attention. The Forum noted that on the very same day terrorists abducted schoolchildren and teachers in Oyo State, Boko Haram insurgents attacked Government Day Secondary School, Mussa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. According to the Forum, the school complex, which comprises a secondary school, primary school and nursery school, had 42 children abducted, including toddlers as young as two years old. “While the entire nation rightly mobilised in support of the Oyo victims, the children of Mussa have suffered in almost complete silence. There has been little visible concern from the Borno State Government, the Federal Government, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, civil society organisations and many human rights groups,” the statement read.
The Forum also highlighted the June 29, 2026 attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, also in Askira/Uba Local Government Area, where it said 36 students — 25 girls and 11 boys — and a staff member were abducted while students were writing examinations. It added that at least one teacher was killed during the attack. Since the first reports of that incident, Binniyat stated that the nation appears to have moved on, leaving the victims and their grieving families to suffer alone. “It is as if these children have been forgotten simply because they come from what appears to be a neglected part of Nigeria,” he said. The Forum recalled that in August 2025, terrorists attacked Shikarkir community in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State and abducted seven children who, according to the group, remain in captivity.
The MBF also raised concerns over attacks in Southern Kaduna, citing the April 6, 2026 attack on Ariko Village in Kachia Local Government Area, where it alleged that seven worshippers were killed and 37 others, mostly women and children, were abducted. The Forum further cited the April 20, 2026 attack on Awon community, also in Kachia Local Government Area, where it said two persons were killed and 11 others abducted. The group said families of the victims had continued to endure pain and uncertainty while waiting for government intervention. The Forum accused the Federal Government and the governments of Borno and Kaduna of sending “a dangerous message that some Nigerian lives matter more than others”.
The MBF also expressed concern that enormous public resources continue to be devoted to programmes for so-called repentant Boko Haram members in Borno State and various rehabilitation initiatives for repentant bandits in Kaduna State while victims remain in captivity. “The Middle Belt Forum believes that no government should appear more concerned about rehabilitating criminals than rescuing innocent citizens still held by those same criminals,” the statement added. The Forum urged the Borno and Kaduna state governments to show the same commitment demonstrated by the Oyo State Government and to provide families of abducted victims with regular briefings. It also called on the Federal Government to intensify rescue operations for all citizens still held by terrorists, including children in Mussa, Lassa, Shikarkir, Ariko, Awon and other “forgotten communities”.
The Forum appealed to the Nigerian Union of Teachers to demonstrate that its concern for the safety of teachers and schoolchildren is national in scope by extending the same solidarity to the victims in Southern Borno. It also called on civil society organisations, human rights groups, religious leaders, the media, development partners and the international community not to allow the innocent victims to disappear from public consciousness. “The rescue of the Oyo victims has demonstrated that determined action can produce results. The same commitment must now be extended to every Nigerian still in captivity,” Binniyat said. The Forum emphasised that every Nigerian child held hostage by enemies of society deserves to be remembered, every hostage deserves hope and every family deserves justice.
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