The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Waidi Shuaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State capital yesterday, amid heightened tensions and a looming protest by the dad and mom of 78 college kids who have been kidnapped in May.
The high-stakes go to comes as the dad and mom shelved a deliberate journey to the nation’s capital, the place they’d threatened to occupy the streets exterior the Presidential Villa in Abuja till President Bola Tinubu personally addressed their plight.
The postponement comes as the households grapple with crippling poverty, an absence of transport fares, and the wrestle to depart behind meals for his or her remaining dependants.
The kids have been kidnapped on May 15, 2026, from the Mussa and Lassa communities – the identical day college lecturers and college students have been kidnapped in Oyo State.
While the Oyo victims have since been rescued, the Borno dad and mom say they’ve been left to grieve in isolation.
“We were surprised by the level of seriousness accorded to the Oyo children, thinking that the same would be extended to our children. Unfortunately, we were left alone to grieve,” lamented Ishaku Suya, Chairman of the Association of the Abducted Children’s Parents.
Suya famous that no high safety chief had visited the affected communities for the reason that tragic incident occurred.
The dad and mom at the moment are trying to the Chief of Army’s present go to to Borno as a turning level, urging him to personally examine Mussa and Lassa simply as navy management did following the Oyo abduction.
The stress from the households coincides with elevated legislative curiosity and up to date govt interventions.
Earlier this week, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum held a closed-door assembly with President Tinubu in Abuja to debate the destiny of the captive kids.
Speaking to journalists after the assembly, Zulum reassured the general public of the federal authorities’s unwavering dedication to securing their launch.
President Tinubu subsequently directed all heads of safety businesses to launch rescue operations nationwide.
Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, said on October 15 that the president gave specific directions to depart no terrorist or bandit camp standing in Nigeria, whereas guaranteeing a safe atmosphere forward of the upcoming elections.
During his arrival in Maiduguri at roughly 11a.m. yesterday, Lt-Gen Shuaibu instantly went to work.
Following a closed-door assembly with senior officers of Operation Hadin Kai on the Maimalari Cantonment, the COAS addressed the troops, charging them to ensure a security-free breach throughout the 2027 electoral course of and emphasizing the important want for inter-agency synergy.
Reminding the troopers of current will increase in their salaries and logistical backing from the federal authorities, the COAS said, “To whom much is given, much is expected. You’ve been motivated in this fight against insurgency. As we go towards the elections, you must continue to provide the enabling environment… for it to be a hit-free exercise.”
He later paid a courtesy name on Governor Zulum.
