Fresh outrage erupted across Nigeria on Sunday as chilling new details emerged from coordinated school abductions in Borno State and Oyo State, deepening fears over the worsening vulnerability of children and schools to terrorist and bandit attacks.
In Borno, traumatised parents in Mussa village, Askira-Uba Local Government Area, recounted how heavily armed insurgents stormed schools and homes on Friday morning and carted away dozens of children - many of them toddlers and nursery pupils - in what residents described as one of the most disturbing child abductions in recent years.
At the same time, outrage also intensified in Oyo after gunmen attacked three schools in the Oriire axis near the Old Oyo National Park, abducting pupils, teachers, and a school principal after killing two people.
The twin attacks have triggered nationwide anger, renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s security architecture, and growing accusations that authorities are failing to protect schools in vulnerable rural communities.
Borno parents recount horror as list of kidnapped children emerges
Fresh accounts from grieving families in Mussa village revealed that the number of abducted children may have risen to 51, significantly higher than initial estimates.
A verified register obtained from Mussa Ward councillor Peter Wabba identified 40 missing children by name, age, and family background, while community leaders said at least 11 additional victims were still being documented.
The details painted a horrifying picture: most of the abducted children are below seven years old, with some as young as one year and seven months.
Among the youngest victims are toddlers identified simply as Mommy, aged one year and seven months; Jagula, aged two years; Halita, aged two years; and several three-year-olds who had only recently begun attending nursery school.
Parents said entire families had been shattered, with some households losing two or three children in the raid.
Bukar Buba, whose six-year-old daughter Alheri remains missing said in an interview with Premium Times, an online newspaper, that only four of the abducted victims were aged 15 and above.
“Most of them are very small children,” he said. “Many are under six years old.”
Residents said the attackers, suspected to be members of Boko Haram or ISWAP, arrived on about 18 motorcycles carrying armed men who moved swiftly into the community shortly after soldiers deployed to the area withdrew.
“The soldiers left, then the terrorists came”
Several parents claimed military reinforcements stationed in the area departed less than 30 minutes before the attack began, intensifying anger and suspicion among residents.
“There’s another set of soldiers from Askira-Uba that usually supports the troops here,” Bukar Buba said.
“The soldiers left between 7:15 a.m. and 8 a.m., and not quite 30 minutes later, the terrorists arrived.”
Another parent, Chinda Buba, said he became alarmed after seeing military gun trucks leave the village shortly before the insurgents struck.
“As I was taking my children to school around 8 a.m., I saw the soldiers leaving,” he said. “It troubled many people in the community.”
According to him, the attackers headed directly for the combined nursery, primary, and junior secondary school complex located near routes leading toward the Sambisa Forest corridor.
“They came straight to the school and chased the pupils out,” he said. “The older children managed to run away, but the little ones could not escape.”
He said the gunmen began selecting smaller children and loading them onto motorcycles as terrified families fled toward nearby hills and mountains.
Residents claimed soldiers stationed nearby could not engage directly because the insurgents deliberately mixed themselves among fleeing pupils.
“The terrorists surrounded themselves with the children,” Chinda Buba said. “The soldiers could only fire into the air.”
For many parents, the emotional toll has been devastating.
One father said his wife has barely spoken since their daughter was taken, while several mothers reportedly collapsed during frantic searches for missing children after the attack.
Oyo attack raises fresh fears in South-West
The abduction crisis also spread outrage across the South-West after armed bandits attacked three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday.
The attackers stormed Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Yawota, Community High School, and L.A. Primary School in Esiele, abducting about 45 pupils alongside teachers and the principal of Community High School, Mrs. Rachael Alamu.
The assailants reportedly killed an assistant headmaster and a commercial motorcyclist during the operation before setting the principal’s vehicle ablaze.
The incident, which occurred near Old Oyo National Park, has heightened fears that organised armed groups are expanding deeper into South-West forests and rural communities.
A voice recording reportedly released from captivity by Mrs. Alamu further intensified public anger and anxiety over the safety of abducted victims.
Afenifere warns of spreading terror threat
Reacting to the Oyo attack, pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation Afenifere condemned the abductions and warned that terrorists appeared determined to establish footholds across the South-West.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, the group said its leader, Reuben Fasoranti, was deeply saddened by the incident.
The organisation said the growing wave of attacks in parts of the South-West and neighbouring states reinforced fears that armed groups were increasingly targeting the region.
Afenifere questioned the effectiveness of several security measures previously announced by South-West governors, including surveillance systems, security aircraft, and regional anti-crime initiatives.
“What has become of these security resolutions and surveillance measures?” the group asked.
The organisation urged governors across the South-West to prioritise security and prevent terrorists from gaining any operational foothold in the region.
“Everything must be done to ensure that no area in the region experiences attacks by kidnappers and bandits anymore,” the statement said.
The group, however, commended Tunji Disu for visiting the scene of the Oyo attack and inaugurating the Police Violent Crime Response Unit.
Painful echoes of Chibok and Dapchi
The latest mass abduction in Borno has revived painful memories of previous school kidnappings in North-east Nigeria, including the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping and the Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapping.
Security analysts say the renewed targeting of schools demonstrates how insurgent groups continue exploiting weak rural security structures and difficult terrain around forest corridors.
In Mussa village, however, the crisis remains deeply personal.
For families still searching for missing children, statistics and political statements offer little comfort.
“We just want our children back alive,” one distraught parent said quietly.
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