In an update published by Premium Times, a coalition of prominent Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State (NECSOB) has forcefully condemned the mass abduction of 48 children from a school in Askira-Uba Local Government Area. The children were rounded up by insurgents during morning learning sessions at Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School.
Expressing deep dissatisfaction with localized defensive operations, the coalition demanded an immediate and thorough restructuring of security protocols surrounding vulnerable border communities. The CSOs highlighted that rural academic institutions have once again become soft targets for terrorist groups looking to leverage human lives for ransom or global media relevance.
The regional advocacy group asked the military high command to deploy specialized rapid response units to track the abductors and rescue the children unconditionally. They emphasized that without static military guard posts around vulnerable communities, rural education in Borno State could face a total collapse due to pervasive fear.
Corroborating the regional security challenge, **Daily Post** revealed that local vigilante forces are assisting federal troops in a massive comb-through of the surrounding forests, reporting that “combined search teams have expanded their perimeter into neighboring woodlands to intercept the insurgent getaway paths.” In tandem, **The Nation** pointed out the growing outrage among community leaders, asserting that “parents are demanding permanent security outposts around rural learning facilities before allowing their surviving children to resume classes.”
Echotitbits take: The resurgence of school mass kidnappings exposes lingering gaps in rural intelligence gathering and rapid deployment. This incident threatens to undo the educational progress achieved in the Northeast over the last few years. The government must treat rural school safety as a primary defense priority, not an afterthought.
Source: Premium Times – https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/881139-csos-condemn-borno-schoolchildren-abduction-demand-security-overhaul.html, May 20, 2026
Photo credit: Premium Times
