The most crucial question is no longer how long the 42 pupils abducted from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, Askira-Uba, Borno State have been missing for 90 days. It is whether Nigeria can make the search a safe release and return of the children.

Their ongoing detention has been a trial for the Nigerian child-recovery system and the system’s capacity to hold up under the pressure, intelligence and support of families whose children have disappeared for months.

The Oyo Release Raises Questions, Borno Remains.

The Borno abduction occurred on the same day pupils and teachers were abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.

56 days later, the Oyo children and teachers were freed. But their release has been shrouded in questions and public debate, with unanswered questions about whether ransom was paid and how much government involvement was involved.

Those questions are important for accountability. But they should not be the focus of the immediate child protection priority – children must get home safely.

The Oyo experience is thus a challenging but instructive one for Borno. Public statements, military claims or the passage of time are not enough to assess the success of any reaction to a school abduction. It must be whether children are returned safely and what protection is provided afterwards.

For Borno, Release Is What Matters Now

After 90 days, 42 pupils are still separated from their families and education. Each extra day adds to the potential physical, emotional and educational impacts of captivity.

Nigeria should therefore continue all viable efforts that can ensure their safe release and continue to inform and support families.

The responsibility will be sustained following the children’s return, through medical care, psychosocial support, family reunification, education recovery and long term safeguarding.

90 days is more than a milestone for the 42 pupils. There are 90 days of childhood that can never be retrieved. Now it’s time to bring them home.