Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have called on the Federal Government to negotiate the release of more than 50 abducted residents of Borno State through a journalist they have selected as a mediator, according to relatives of the victims.
The development comes as the Defence Headquarters assured Nigerians that the 42 pupils abducted from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira Uba Local Government Area on 15 May had not been forgotten, saying troops were working to secure their safe release.
Families of the victims said the insurgents recently provided proof-of-life photographs and voice messages confirming that the abductees were alive.
The spokesperson for the families, Hassan Yati, told Saturday PUNCH on Friday that the insurgents wanted the government to initiate contact through a journalist whose identity they requested remain undisclosed.
“We received voice notes telling us they are alive and that there are many more people in captivity than the number we are asking about. We learnt they are more than 50,” Yati said.
“The government should reach out to them through the journalist mediator they have chosen. If the government contacts us, we will connect them with the journalist, and they can take it from there.”
Yati said the families were prepared to share all the information they had received with the authorities and urged both the Federal Government and the Borno State Government to act swiftly in the interest of those who had endured months of uncertainty.
Asked whether the insurgents had made additional demands, he said discussions could only progress once communication was established.
“It doesn’t have to be ransom like the case of Oyo. The government has the cards,” he added.
The appeal comes weeks after families of abducted victims gathered at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre in Maiduguri on 23 July to mark 100 days since the abductions and call for intensified rescue efforts.
Concerns grow over missing schoolchildren
Fresh concern has also been raised over the welfare of 78 schoolchildren abducted in separate attacks on schools in Askira Uba Local Government Area, amid fears for their health following a cholera outbreak in parts of Borno State.
The first incident occurred on 15 May when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, abducting 42 pupils.
In a second attack on 29 June, gunmen invaded Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, kidnapping 36 students and a teacher. The two incidents left at least 78 children missing.
Civil society groups and families have criticised what they describe as inadequate communication from both the Federal Government and the Borno State Government regarding efforts to rescue the victims.
Chairman of the Network of Civil Society Organisations in Borno State, Abubakar Suleiman, urged the authorities to provide regular updates on the rescue operations.
“For someone to remain in captivity for more than two months is horrific. The government is keeping citizens in absolute darkness. We want quicker action and clearer updates on the situation of the missing children,” he said.
He also appealed for intensified efforts to ensure the safe return of all abducted persons.
Parents of the missing children said they had received no official information since the attacks.
One of them, Emmanuel Keri, whose child was abducted during the attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, described the ordeal as devastating.
“We have not heard anything since their abduction. I am begging the government to bring our children back. We are not happy at all,” he said.
Another parent, who requested anonymity, said families were “dying in silence” as they struggled with uncertainty over the fate of their children.
Military assures families
Responding to enquiries on Friday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, assured Nigerians that efforts to rescue the abducted pupils remained ongoing.
“They can never be forgotten. The military is doing everything possible to secure their release, and we hope it will happen soon,” he said.
According to Onoja, troops under Operation HADIN KAI have put measures in place to ensure the safe rescue of the abducted children.
