Former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has condemned the recent abduction of schoolchildren in parts of Borno and Oyo States, describing the incidents as a disturbing reflection of Nigeria’s deepening insecurity crisis.
Obi, in a statement on Saturday, said the repeated targeting of schools and students underscores what he called a worsening “ransom-driven economy” that now places children at grave risk.
He reacted to recent attacks in Mussa Village, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, and Ahoro-Esinele community in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, where students and school officials were reportedly abducted by armed assailants.
According to him, nothing was more troubling for a nation than its inability to guarantee the safety of children, warning that the trend poses a direct threat to Nigeria’s future.
“Sad: Schoolchildren now ‘pawns in ransom economy’. There is nothing more heartbreaking for a nation than an inability to protect its children,” he said.
Obi noted that the fear of abduction was already discouraging school attendance, particularly among girls, thereby worsening the country’s out-of-school children crisis.
He said, “The recent attacks and kidnappings of students from schools in Mussa Village, Askira/Uba LGA of Borno State and Ahoro-Esinele in Oriire LGA of Oyo State mark a grave crisis that threatens the future of our nation.”
He added that in many communities repeatedly exposed to such attacks, education systems were gradually collapsing as fear becomes a major barrier to learning.
“The fear of further abduction often leads children, especially girls, to permanently drop out of school,” he warned.
Obi further stressed that securing schools should be treated as a national priority beyond routine security arrangements, describing it as a moral responsibility.
“Ensuring the safety of schools is not just a logistical issue; it is a moral obligation,” he stated, calling for stronger community intelligence networks, improved protection of learning environments and accountability for perpetrators.
He also urged authorities to adopt a combination of local intelligence gathering, reinforcement of school security infrastructure, and a transparent justice system to deter future attacks.
The statement follows recent violent incidents in Borno, where suspected insurgents reportedly invaded a school in Mussa Village, abducting several students, while others escaped.
In Oyo State, gunmen also attacked schools in Ahoro-Esinele community, killing a teacher and abducting a principal alongside an unspecified number of students before fleeing into a nearby forest.
