48 Pupils Kidnapped in Borno's Mussa: Governor Zulum Visits, Promises Safe Return

Forty-eight people, the majority of them schoolchildren, have been kidnapped from Mussa hamlet in the Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum visited Uba town on Tuesday to offer condolences and assure residents that efforts are underway to secure the victims' release.

The Borno kidnapped pupils Mussa hamlet Askira Uba incident has added a devastating new chapter to Nigeria's ongoing crisis of school abductions, one that the country has been unable to fully resolve since the Chibok kidnappings over a decade ago.

According to Alhaji Ali Ibn Isma'ila Mamza II, the Emir of Uba, who spoke during the governor's visit, the kidnapping occurred in the Mussa locality on Friday, May 15, 2026. Among the 48 victims are 37 primary school students, six secondary school students, and five other community members.

That breakdown matters. These are not just statistics. They are children at two different stages of their education, sitting in classrooms in a community that had every right to expect they would come home.

Governor Zulum offered condolences to the Emir of Uba, the parents of the kidnapped children, and the wider community. He confirmed that the Borno State Government, the Federal Government, and security agencies are actively working toward the victims' release, and that security forces including police and military personnel have been deployed to strengthen local security and support rescue operations.

He also made a direct appeal to the kidnappers.

The governor described the victims as defenseless children in need of parental care and urged their captors to release them. It is the kind of appeal that reflects both the desperation of the moment and the limits of what a governor can say publicly when negotiations may be happening behind the scenes.

Zulum also pledged to strengthen security across Askira, Uba, and surrounding communities to prevent future attacks of this nature.

The Borno kidnapped pupils Mussa hamlet Askira Uba abduction is the latest in a series of school kidnappings that have kept northern Nigerian communities in a state of fear for years. From Chibok to Dapchi to Kagara to Tegina, the abduction of schoolchildren has become one of the most visible and most painful symptoms of the country's insecurity crisis.

Each incident is followed by a familiar sequence: official condemnation, a governor's visit, promises of rescue, and a community left waiting with no certainty about when, or whether, their children will return.

The five community members taken alongside the students are a reminder that these attacks do not discriminate. Everyone present at the wrong time becomes a target.

At the time of publication, no group had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. The rescue operation was ongoing.

Forty-eight families in Mussa hamlet went to sleep on Friday night not knowing where their children were. As of Tuesday, they still did not know.