The Ashlee Momoh Foundation has called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts and deploy all necessary resources to rescue dozens of pupils abducted from Lassa and Mussa communities in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
The Chief Executive Officer of the foundation, Princess Ashlee Omonegho Momoh, made the appeal in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.
Momoh said the pupils, including toddlers as young as two years old, had spent more than 150 days in captivity, describing their continued detention as a violation of their fundamental human rights.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 78 children, including nursery school pupils, were reportedly abducted on May 15, 2026, from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School and nearby homes in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
She urged the government to intensify strategic military operations to address the lingering security crisis and secure the pupils’ immediate release and reunion with their families.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the parents and loved ones who have been subjected to severe emotional and psychological trauma all this while, knowing their children were forcefully taken away from them.
“However, prayers must be matched with decisive action. Our gallant military are fully capable of neutralising the abductors and rescuing our children,” she said.
Momoh cited the swift resolution of the school abduction incident in Oyo State as evidence of the military’s capacity to rescue abducted children.
She stressed that children in Borno State deserved the same freedom, safety and protection as every other Nigerian child.
The foundation’s CEO also announced plans to embark on a 21-day peaceful rally at Unity Fountain, Maitama, Abuja, beginning on October 26, 2026, to demand the immediate and unconditional release of all the abducted pupils.
According to her, the sustained campaign is aimed at drawing national and international attention to the plight of the children and mounting pressure for their safe return.
She urged well-meaning Nigerians, civil society organisations and Askira-Uba residents living in Abuja to participate in the rally, stressing that the government must fulfil its constitutional responsibility to protect the lives and welfare of citizens.
Traditional rulers, including the Emir of Uba, Ali Samaila Mamza II, and political leaders, such as Senator Ali Ndume, have repeatedly called on federal and state security agencies to intensify intelligence gathering and rescue operations.
