By Beatrice Gondyi
Senator Mohammed Ndume has appealed to the military to ramp up efforts toward freeing scores of Borno residents, including schoolchildren, who have now spent over 100 days in the hands of kidnappers.
The lawmaker, who represents Borno South, made the call on Wednesday during a courtesy visit to the Theatre Command headquarters of Operation Hadin Kai in Maiduguri.
Ndume specifically referenced the abduction of pupils from Mussa and Lassa communities in Askira Uba Local Government Area, travellers seized along the Buratai highway, and victims still unaccounted for following the Ngoshe attack in Gwoza Local Government Area.
While acknowledging the military’s ongoing counter-insurgency operations, the senator said the passage of time had made it unbearable for families still waiting for the return of their loved ones.
“I know you are doing your best, but the anxiety is real. Over 100 days is too long,” Ndume told the Theatre Commander, Major General Abubakar Abdulsalam. “I have a duty to keep pushing, not because the military is failing, but because the people I represent cannot afford to wait indefinitely.”
He emphasised that his visit was not meant to criticise the armed forces but to amplify the voices of distraught constituents who look up to him for intervention.
“Like Oliver Twist, I have come to ask for more. When you do well, I will commend you. When my people are suffering, I will bring it to your door. That is my moral burden,” Ndume said.
The senator also lauded the existing cooperation between the military and other security agencies, describing the synergy as a cornerstone of the progress so far achieved in the fight against insurgency in the Northeast.
In his response, Major General Abdulsalam assured the senator that the military had taken note of his concerns and remained fully committed to securing the release of all captives.
He reiterated the army’s resolve to protect vulnerable communities, restore peace, and hasten the return of internally displaced persons to their ancestral homes.
Abdulsalam credited much of the theatre’s recent successes to the strategic guidance of the Chief of Army Staff, who he said possessed a firm grasp of the complex security dynamics in the region.
The commander, however, stopped short of providing a specific timeline for the rescue mission, urging patience while operations continue.
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