The parents of the more than 300 pupils abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State last week are pleading for the safe return of their children as fear and uncertainty deepen.
The students were taken when armed men stormed the school in the early hours of the morning, herding the children into the forest before security operatives could intervene. Since then, families have gathered daily at the school premises and nearby police stations, waiting anxiously for updates.
One distraught father said his son is so young he “doesn’t even know how to talk,” stressing that the boy requires constant care and cannot survive long without parental support. “My child is still a baby. He can’t speak properly or express himself. I don’t know how he is coping right now,” he said, breaking down in tears.
Many parents echoed similar fears, describing sleepless nights and the torment of imagining what their children may be going through in captivity. Community leaders have appealed to both state and federal authorities to intensify rescue efforts and ensure the children’s safe return.
Security agencies say operations are ongoing, though no official update has been provided on negotiations or the condition of the abducted pupils.
For now, the community remains united in prayer and hope, clinging to the belief that the children will be brought home alive.