The Borno State Government has ordered the temporary closure of Government Day Secondary School, Mussa, after 42 children were abducted by suspected Boko Haram terrorists. The students and pupils were taken during an attack on Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School on May 16 in Askira/Uba Local Government Area. The decision to shut and relocate the school was announced on May 25 by the state Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Lawan Wakilbe, during a visit to the community. A statement issued on May 26 by the governor's spokesperson, Dauda Illiya, confirmed the closure and relocation to Government Secondary School, Uba, under the Safe Schools Initiative. The move is intended to allow students to continue their education in safer conditions. Before visiting Mussa, Wakilbe's delegation met with the Emir of Uba, Alhaji Ali Ibn Ismaila Mamza II, at his palace. In Mussa, they were received by Lt. Col. Ishola Olufisola, Commanding Officer of the 115 Battalion, along with local leaders and parents of the abducted children. Wakilbe expressed the government's sympathy and assured parents that efforts were ongoing to secure the safe return of all 42 victims. According to Senator Muhammade Ndume, representing Borno South, the abducted group includes four students from the secondary section—two male and two female—28 pupils from the primary section, and 10 children taken from their homes.
Lawan Wakilbe announced school relocation only after 42 children had already been seized. The Safe Schools Initiative appears reactive, not preventive, since the attack occurred before any intervention. If the plan was already in place, it failed to protect students on May 16. Safety measures that follow abductions, rather than precede them, offer no real protection.
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