Odita Sunday 
…Group demands urgent action, review of Safe School Initiative
By Odita Sunday
The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the rescue of about 80 schoolchildren and teachers reportedly held captive by terrorists in Borno State for nearly six months.
The association said the President has a constitutional, legal and moral responsibility to ensure the safe return of the abductees, warning that their prolonged captivity requires decisive action by the Federal Government.
In a statement issued on Sunday, October 11, 2026, HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the continued detention of the victims had raised concerns about the effectiveness of the government’s security response and the protection of vulnerable citizens.
Onwubiko stressed that President Tinubu, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, bears a central responsibility for providing leadership, direction and coordination in efforts to secure the release of the abductees.
He said the protection of lives and property remained a fundamental responsibility of government, alongside the promotion of citizens’ welfare.
HURIWA urged the President to ensure effective coordination among security agencies, intensify intelligence-led rescue operations and provide affected families with credible updates on efforts to secure the victims’ freedom.
The association said the children and their teachers were reportedly abducted in two separate attacks on Mussa and Lassa communities in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State between May and June 2026.
According to the statement, reports indicate that between 40 and 44 children were abducted in the first incident, although the exact number remains disputed, while 36 pupils and a teacher were reportedly taken in the second attack.
The prolonged captivity has caused distress among affected families, some of whom have questioned why their children remain in captivity while pupils abducted in a separate incident in Oyo State were released after 57 days.
HURIWA said the concerns raised by the parents deserved urgent attention, adding that assurances from the authorities should be accompanied by publicly verifiable progress, where disclosure would not compromise rescue operations.
The group also called for a comprehensive review of the Safe School Initiative, introduced following the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok, Borno State.
It argued that the continued occurrence of school abductions more than a decade after the initiative was introduced underscored the need to strengthen its implementation, improve intelligence gathering and coordination among security agencies, and ensure accountability for security lapses.
The association further maintained that school protection should extend beyond physical infrastructure to include early-warning systems, rapid emergency responses and effective security for communities surrounding vulnerable schools.
It urged the Federal Government to intensify lawful and intelligence-driven efforts to secure the release of all the captives without exposing them to further danger.
HURIWA also called on the authorities to maintain communication with affected families while ensuring that sensitive operational information was not disclosed in ways that could undermine rescue efforts.
The association warned against allowing the abducted children and their teachers to become forgotten victims of the country’s insecurity crisis, insisting that their safe return must remain an urgent national priority.
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