Every Day They Are Away Is a Day of Childhood They Cannot Get Back: 95 Days Since Borno Schoolchildren Were Abducted
The abduction of 42 schoolchildren from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, has been on for 95 days. Time is more than a number to their families. It’s another day without their kids, another class they missed, another childhood moment they missed.
On May 15, 2026, the children were abducted, and their families and community were left to endure a long day at school.
The repercussions of each day the children miss school are not limited to lost schoolwork. Education provides routine, social interaction and a sense of normality. Children may continue to struggle to learn and return to school even after they are safely back with their families, due to the disruption of learning that can occur during their absence.
Parents are also emotionally affected, as they wait for information about their children’s safety and await their safe return.
The need for the focus to go beyond the immediate rescue effort at 95 days is therefore evident. If the children are found, they will require more than a trip home. They may require medical care, psychosocial support, educational catch-up and careful family and community reintegration.
They can’t just be let off the hook and their lost days forgotten.
The continued absence of these children should continue to be a national child-protection concern. They may not be in the news every day, but their childhood goes on.
Each day they are away is a day that they will never make up.
