…Says “No life is better than another”
Civil society groups, youth leaders and residents in Borno State have voiced strong dissatisfaction with the Federal Government’s apparent indifference following the abduction of 42 primary and junior secondary school students in Mussa community, Askira-Uba LGA.
Recall that the students were kidnapped on May 16, when suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School.
The outrage follows what critics describe as a stark contrast between the federal response to the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo state, and the apparent silence surrounding a similar tragedy in Borno. While top government officials swiftly visited Oyo and announced immediate security interventions after the abduction of pupils and teachers there, families of the Askira-Uba victims say they have been left waiting for meaningful action since their children were seized on May 16.
Critics argue that the government has shown far greater urgency in responding to a similar school abduction in Oyo State while largely ignoring the Borno incident.
Speaking on behalf of several civil society organisations, Chairman of the Network of Civil Society Organisations, Abubakar Suleiman, highlighted what he described as unequal treatment of victims, and condemned what he termed a “tiered security priority”.
He noted that a high-powered federal delegation including the National Security Adviser, Minister of Defence and Chief of Staff to the President swiftly visited the Oyo scene by helicopter. In contrast, no such high-level intervention has occurred in Borno.
Suleiman referenced another recent incident in Ngoshe on May 3, whereby around 416 people were reportedly kidnapped, yet received no significant federal response. He argued that every Nigerian life should carry equal value regardless of geography.
“No life is better than another”, Suleiman stressed, insisting that the federal government’s response to the Borno abduction has failed to demonstrate that victims across the country are treated equally, and urged the government to intensify search and rescue operations, engage directly with affected parents, and provide regular updates on efforts to free the children.
The criticism has been echoed by youth groups in southern Borno. President of the Borno-South Youths Alliance Forum, Sama’ila Kaigama, questioned the adequacy of the state government’s response, arguing that emergency support announced for affected communities falls far short of addressing the trauma experienced by parents and relatives.
Security analyst, Abubakar Kareto also weighed-in, urging authorities to deploy the same level of intelligence-gathering, military pressure and coordinated rescue operations reportedly mobilised in response to the Oyo incident.
“The children in Askira-Uba deserve the exact intensity of attention and resources being deployed elsewhere”, he said, warning that perceptions of unequal treatment could deepen feelings of marginalisation in communities that have long borne the brunt of insurgency-related violence.
