By The National Prayer Altar
You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God. (Deut. 25:13-16, ESV).
On Thursday 29th October 2026, the Margi community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State held a press conference in Abuja to lament the continued abduction of 78 children and a teacher from their schools on 15th May 2026 and on 29th June 2026. On those fateful dates, 42 children were abducted from a school in Mussa in May, while 36 students and one teacher were later abducted in Lassa in June. A total of 37 people were kidnapped from Lassa. Most of the children abducted from Mussa were extremely young, some reportedly toddlers, with a substantial majority below seven years. Several families lost more than one child. The students at Lassa were writing NECO examinations at the time of the attack. The abductions have disrupted education in Askira-Uba. By August 2026, the local education authority reported that 20 additional primary schools had been closed because of insecurity, leaving only 56 out of 113 primary schools functioning. As many as 57 primary schools have been closed, while the children remain missing for over five months.
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State met with the parents on 21st August 2026 and assured them that Government was working to secure the release of the children. On 9th October 2026, the Governor said that President Tinubu had assured him that the security units would do everything possible to secure the release of the children. As of 29th October, the parents are still protesting that nothing tangible has been done to secure the release of their children. Meanwhile, the kidnappers did not communicate with the parents but chose to engage the state government. According to the statements of the community at the press conference, they do not know the demands of the kidnappers.
The kidnap of school children at Mussa and Lassa were not isolated cases in 2026. Several other abductions took place at various locations in the country, but most of those other cases have been resolved and the children have been released. Below is a short list of some of the cases.
• On 26 April 2026, at Daarul-Kitab orphanage, Zariagi, Lokoja, in Kogi State, 23 children were abducted. They were reportedly freed after 36 days.
• On 26 April 2026, six schoolchildren, their driver and two other passengers were abducted while travelling from Akwando village to Kachia LGA in Kaduna State. They regained their freedom around 31 May/1 June after 36 days in captivity.
• At the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, six students were kidnapped on 3rd June 2026. All six have been reportedly freed.
• On 14th July 2026 at Odo-Ekina School, Dekina LGA, in Kogi State, four people were kidnapped while students were writing NECO examination. The four victims comprised the Principal, a NECO official, and two students. All four victims were rescued after two days.
• On 15th May 2026, the same day that 42 children at Mussa in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State were kidnapped, 49 people, which included school children, teachers, and a toddler, were kidnapped at Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State. After a coordinated exercise by various security units, the victims were rescued after 56 days on 10th July 2026.
The report above is not to say that all kidnapped victims in Nigeria have been released. It shows that release of kidnapped victims is possible, and should be sustained. A _Vanguard_ newspaper report on 19th July 2026 identified some unresolved cases of mass kidnaps at various locations in Nigeria. They include:
• 176 residents of Woro community reportedly abducted in a mass raid in Kwara State.
• 37 Christians abducted from Ariko during Easter celebrations, plus 11 residents from Awon, all in Kaduna State.
• 150 residents of Kurfa Danya and Magaji; 92 residents abducted in Anka and Tsafe; and 18 passengers abducted along the Abuja–Sokoto highway in Zamfara State.
The case of Oriire Local Government in Oyo State deserves particular attention because it occurred on 15th May 2026, the same day as that of Mussa, in Borno State. While the victims of the Oyo State abductions were freed after 56 days, those in Borno State are still being held incommunicado, after five months.
According to media reports, the rescue of the victims in Oyo State resulted from a sustained, coordinated intelligence and military operation that placed intense pressure on the abductors. Security agencies spent more than a month identifying the abductors’ leaders, informants, logistics channels and hideouts in and around the Old Oyo National Park forest. The operation involved the Army, DSS, Police, other security agencies, special forces, Amotekun and local hunters and vigilantes. The Army reported multiple arrests in Oyo State as well as in other states, which disrupted the network of the kidnappers and weakened their ability to operate. A former senior security official separately described the abductors as being isolated from supplies, weapons and informant support. After the network had been weakened and the hideout isolated, security forces carried out a final operation on 10th July 2026. The Army reported that the captives were released unconditionally. Eight suspects were arrested and some other abductors were killed.
The question that would arise therefore is, why has the same standard not been applied to the case of the abducted children of Borno State? The incident at Oriire proves that government has the capacity to neutralize the kidnappers and set their victims free. While the rescue of some abducted schoolchildren is a welcome achievement, we wonder why the duty of government is not fulfilled with other children and citizens in kidnappers’ dens. Every victim deserves the same urgency, every family deserves credible information, and every kidnapping network must be pursued and neutralized until those held are safely returned. Suppose those were your children?
The Tinubu administration must be careful not to create the impression that the government applies differing standards to solving a peculiar problem besetting all citizens of Nigeria. Allegations could arise to the effect that government applied seriousness to the case of the victims in Oyo State because that is the geographical zone of the President. The possibility of such impressions cannot be ruled out. The President must ensure that he does everything possible to give no basis for such conclusions. The people of the South West must also sustain the level of media pressure that they applied to the Oriire case, and support the people in Borno State. No one can predict on which side the pendulum would swing tomorrow.
The Tinubu administration should be asked: if the government was able to mobilise the intelligence and security resources that secured the release of the Oyo State schoolchildren, what obstacles are preventing it from achieving a similar result for the children of Mussa and Lassa, and what is being done to overcome the obstacles? That is a legitimate question of public accountability, not an attempt to ridicule the government or undermine the security agencies.
Sadly, the parents in Mussa and Lassa do not know about the condition of their children. The children abducted at Mussa were mostly below seven years of age. The students from Lassa are also vulnerable. On 18th July 2026, the Borno State Commissioner for Education reportedly showed a 15-second video, described as proof of life of the abducted Lassa students. The footage showed students seated on the ground, with armed men standing behind them. For the little children from Mussa, there has been no proof of their condition or location, five months after they were abducted. Even the identity of the abductors swings between Boko Haram and ISWAP. The parents convened a press conference at the end of October, still unaware of the current condition or location of their children.
These children are not merely statistics in a security report. They are children whose families are waiting, day after day, for them to come back home. Behind each child is a father, a mother, siblings, and a community that daily lives in fear.
The government must do more than give verbal assurances that it is “doing its best.” This case must not end up like that of the Chibok girls that have not returned home after ten years. The children of Mussa and Lassa deserve the same determination, urgency and commitment to their safe return as the children of Oriire. The parents deserve more than assurances that “efforts are ongoing.” They deserve credible information, accountability, and a government that will not allow their children’s plight to fade from national attention.
This is also to call on Christians to raise their voices so that the children from Mussa and Lassa are not forgotten over the passage of time. There must be consistent pressure on the government to prioritize the safe release of these children. In addition to sustained prayers, there must be media action across all information platforms to keep this matter on the front burner of public awareness. It is disturbing that politicians are concentrating on elections while the lives of children are at stake. The love of Christ compels Christians to give priority attention to the rescue of the children from Mussa and Lassa. They must not be forgotten.
This incident is also a reminder that citizens must organize to enthrone good governance in the country. A political class that has repeatedly proven that it is tolerant towards terrorists and religious irredentists is not desirable for the country. Nigeria requires a government that will promote democracy and guarantee justice, fairness, and equality in the land. Those engaged in religious discrimination should not be permitted to have access to the control of state resources. The country must be governed to give equal right and protection to all citizens. Every citizen has the right to life, protection, and dignity. The children from Mussa and Lassa must not be forgotten.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Col. 1:15-18
Proclaim the supremacy of Christ over every power of Satan and every force of darkness.
2. 1 John 3:8
In the name of Jesus, destroy every work of Satan and the power of darkness behind terrorism, kidnapping, and all manners of destructions in Nigeria.
3. Matt. 12:29
Bind the strongman behind the abduction of the children at Mussa and Lassa and set the captives free.
4. Is. 49:24-26
Execute the judgment of God on all terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, and all forces behind kidnapping, abductions, murder, and destruction in Nigeria.
5. Is. 54:14-15
Pronounce peace upon the North and Middle Belt regions of Nigeria, as well as on the entire country.
6. Ps. 94:20-23
Pray for the next transition in Nigeria and decree that evil and wicked men shall not get into power again.
7. Rev. 11:15
Pray and invite Christ to expand the frontiers of His kingdom in Nigeria.
● The National Prayer Altar is a group of Christians which prays nightly and is headed by Pastor Bosun Emmanuel and Professor Kontein Trinya.