60 Days After, Families Beg For Rescue Of 13 Borno Travellers

Sixty days after 13 travellers were abducted along the Biu-Maiduguri-Damaturu Road, families of the victims are pleading with authorities to intensify rescue efforts, saying they have heard nothing from the captives or security agencies.

Addressing journalists at the NUJ Press Centre on Saturday in Maiduguri, the spokesman of the families of the abducted victims, Mr Hassan Yati, said while they rejoice over the recent rescue of 360 abducted women, children and men from Ngoshe, as well as the release of 11 abducted fisherwomen from Askira Uba, their joy remains incomplete because their loved ones remained in captivity.

“Today, we address you with hearts weighed down by pain, fear and uncertainty over the abduction of 13 travellers who left Biu for Maiduguri on April 15, 2026, but never reached their destination after their vehicles were ambushed by suspected ISWAP/Boko Haram insurgents along the Biu-Buratai-Kamuya Road,” Mr Yati said.

He noted that today marks exactly 60 painful days since they disappeared. “60 days of unanswered questions; 60 days of sleepless nights; 60 days of children waiting at the door for parents who never returned home,” he stated.

Yati recalled that on that tragic day, two overloaded station wagon vehicles carrying innocent passengers were stopped by armed insurgents and driven into the bush to an unknown destination, and since then, silence has surrounded their fate.

He said among those abducted was a mother carrying her seven-month-old baby who had only just recovered from illness.

“There were young graduates travelling to Maiduguri to process their NYSC deployment. There was a husband and wife from Hawul; two brothers full of dreams.

“Young men and women hoping to begin new chapters of their lives after years of struggle. None of them imagined that an ordinary journey of less than six hours would become a nightmare stretching into months.

“’Sadly, attacks and abductions along this road are becoming frighteningly common. Yet for many communities across Biu, Hawul, Kwaya Kusar, Bayo and Shani, this dangerous road remains the only link to Maiduguri.

“No Nigerian deserves this suffering. No family deserves to live with this kind of uncertainty. Every passing day deepens the wounds in the hearts of families left behind.

“How does one explain to a six-year-old girl, Deborah Michael, that her father and mother coming to Maiduguri from Biu are yet to arrive even after two months?

“How does Baba Mustapha sleep at night knowing that his two sons, who squeezed themselves into a vehicle boot just to make the trip, have vanished without a trace?

“How does Mr Musa Wakawa comfort himself after losing contact with his wife and daughter, whom he promised never to leave behind? These are not just names?,” Yati lamented.

He noted that these are fathers, mothers, children, brothers and sisters whose absence has left families emotionally shattered.

“Yet despite our pain, we have not lost hope. We have seen the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, the Nigerian Army and security agencies in securing the release of other abducted victims in recent weeks.

“Those successes have reminded us that rescue is possible and that our loved ones too can still come home alive.

“Today, we humbly and passionately appeal to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, Hon Muktar Aliyu betara, Hon Midala Usman Balami, Hon Ahmed Usman Jaha, the Nigerian Army and all relevant security agencies not to forget our families.

“Please help us bring our loved ones home. We also appeal for urgent measures to protect innocent travellers using the Biu-Damaturu-Maiduguri Road by increasing security presence and improving surveillance across the route.

“We further call for the rehabilitation of the Borno segment of the road to ease movement and reduce vulnerability for commuters.

“ Commercial transport operators should also be directed to maintain proper passenger manifests for all trips to aid accountability and emergency response.”