The attack took place in the early hours of Friday, May 15, 2026, while students were in their classrooms at Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School. Attackers overpowered local security and fled with 48 pupils and students, triggering widespread grief and fear across the community.

Parents and residents remain in shock as security forces intensify efforts to locate the missing children.

Aggrieved Father cries out.

One affected parent, John, a 32-year-old local vigilante, spoke emotionally about the abduction of three of his four children.

“I have four children in the school, but three of them have been abducted,” he said.

“They had their breakfast as usual and bid us farewell before leaving for school. About an hour later, while I was away for my daily vigilante work in a nearby village, I noticed my phone ringing repeatedly. My heart immediately began beating fast because such calls are unusual.”

“After answering the call, the first thing I heard was that unknown gunmen had invaded the village and abducted school students. I immediately rode my motorcycle and rushed back to town.”

“On my way, I saw many people running. Some teachers and students were also fleeing back home. I met one of my children and asked about the others, but he said they were nowhere to be found because the gunmen had already taken them while they were escaping.”

John described the moment as devastating.

“I felt like the whole world was revolving around my head,” he said.

“The eldest among them is just nine years old and a Primary Two pupil. The other two are two and a half years old and two years old. Both are pupils in the play crèche section.”

Efforts by Villagers and Security Forces

Initial hope that the youngest children might have hidden in nearby bushes quickly faded as searches yielded no results.

“Due to the fact that most of the children are from the play crèche and nursery sections, we refused to believe they had been abducted,” John added.

“We searched nearby villages and bushes, hoping they had hidden for safety, but unfortunately, they had been taken away by the gunmen. Some of them are too young to stay away from their mothers for long, and we are deeply worried about their safety.”

The village head of Mussa, Ijidigal, confirmed that 48 students remain missing.

“On that day, we deployed members of the Vanguard, Civilian Joint Task Force, and other security personnel. They spent the night searching for the children, but no trace was found,” he said.

Additional security forces were deployed on Monday, May 18, 2026, to boost search operations, but no official update on the children’s whereabouts has been released.

“We hope for the safe return of our children,” he added.

Government Officials Respond

The Chairman of Askira Uba Local Government Area, Hon. Mada Saidu, visited the affected community on Sunday, May 17, 2026, to console the families.

Residents said the chairman promised to escalate the matter to higher authorities for intensified rescue efforts. Community members have since called on the government to bolster security around rural schools to avert future incidents.

Security Experts Raise Concern

Security analysts have described the abduction as a worrying regression in the region’s fight against insurgency.

Maiduguri-based security analyst Alhaji Modu Ali noted that while school kidnappings have been more prevalent in northwestern Nigeria, this incident highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in the northeast.

“I believe both the government and security forces have relaxed in the fight against insecurity, which may have allowed such an incident to happen again after many years,” he said.

Ali recalled the 2014 Chibok abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram, which drew international outrage.

“The state has not witnessed another major school kidnapping since then,” he added.

He warned of broader consequences if schools remain unprotected.

“If students cannot be protected inside their classrooms, then there is no future for education among children of the masses, and this may create another social crisis in the future,” he said.

Ali urged authorities to prioritize the rescue of the children, many of whom are of nursery school age.

“Even if negotiations become necessary, the priority should be rescuing these children because most of them are of nursery school age and need to reunite with their parents,” he added.

FALMATA AMINA MOHAMMED