COAS visits Borno as Parents lament children’s 155 days in captivity
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant-General Waidi Shuaibu, arrived in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Saturday, amid heightened tensions and a looming protest by the parents of 78 school children who were abducted…
The abduction of school children in Borno State is the latest in a long line of mass kidnappings that have plagued north-eastern Nigeria since Boko Haram's insurgency began, echoing earlier high-profile cases such as the 2014 Chibok and 2018 Dapchi abductions. Such incidents have repeatedly exposed the vulnerability of schools in the region and fuelled public anger over the pace and transparency of military rescue efforts, even as the army maintains a significant troop presence in Borno to combat insurgent and bandit activity.
The Chief of Army Staff's visit to Maiduguri comes as families of the 78 missing children mark 155 days without their return, a milestone that has sharpened calls for accountability and renewed pressure on security authorities. Both Daily Trust and ThisDay report the visit coincided with a planned protest by distressed parents, underscoring growing frustration with the slow pace of the rescue operation, though neither report yet details what specific actions or assurances the army chief offered during his trip.