Arewa group calls for equal attention to kidnapped school children

The Arewa Cohesion for Peace, Unity and Development (ACI) has expressed concern over what it described as a one-sided national response to the recent abductions of schoolchildren in Oyo and Borno states. Boko Haram insurgents attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School on May 15, abducting more than 40 children, including toddlers. The following day, gunmen invaded Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota, Community Grammar School and L.A. Primary School in Ahoro-Esiele, Oyo State, abducting pupils and teachers. Two of the kidnapped teachers were later killed by the captors. In a statement by the Director General of ACI, Dr Abdullahi Idris, the organisation noted that while the abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State attracted widespread national attention, including visits by Federal Government delegations, the abduction of 42 children in Mussa community, Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, which occurred around the same period, has received little or no similar concern at the national level. According to ACI, the victims in Mussa community include innocent primary and secondary school students, as well as a one-and-a-half-year-old child who have remained in captivity for over 16 days. “ACI observed with concern that despite the gravity of the incident in Borno State, there has been no visible solidarity visit or coordinated advocacy by major national stakeholders such as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and several civil society and professional organisations that swiftly reacted to the Oyo incident. “While we sympathise with all victims of insecurity across Nigeria, we strongly believe that no human life is more valuable than another, irrespective of region, ethnicity or religion,” the statement said.