A verified register obtained by this newspaper from Mussa Ward councillor Peter Wabba identified 40 missing children by name, age, and family background.
Fresh accounts from parents in Mussa village, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, have revealed the devastating scale of Friday’s terrorist attack, with community leaders and affected families saying the number of missing children has risen to 51.
A verified register obtained by this newspaper from Mussa Ward councillor Peter Wabba identified 40 missing children by name, age, and family background. Community leaders say subsequent checks indicate that at least 51 children may have been abducted during the raid.
Parents told PREMIUM TIMES that the majority of the missing children are very young, many of them in nursery, Primary One, and Primary Two classes.
Bukar Buba, a farmer whose six-year-old daughter is among the missing, said only four of the victims are aged 15 or above.
“Among the 51 missing children, only four are 15 years or older,” Mr Buba said. “Most are very young children, many under six.”
Community sources said some victims are as young as toddlers, revealing the extraordinary vulnerability of those taken.
Mr Bukar stated that attackers arrived less than 30 minutes after military reinforcements from Askira-Uba departed Mussa.
“There’s another set of soldiers from Askira-Uba that usually comes to support their colleagues here in Mussa,” he said.
“The soldiers left between 7:15 a.m to 8 a.m., and not quite 30 minutes later, the terrorists came.”
The claim has intensified community concerns over security lapses, and military authorities have not responded to requests for comment as of press time.
Another parent, Chinda Buba, whose young daughter was abducted, said approximately 25 of the missing children were from the nursery section alone.
“Earlier yesterday, around 8 a.m., I was taking my children to school,” Mr Chinda said. “As I was leaving for the farm, I saw three military gun trucks departing. Their departure troubled the community.”
“It wasn’t up to 30 minutes later before the terrorists struck.”
Mr Chinda said the attackers stormed the combined nursery, primary, and junior secondary school complex located near routes leading toward Sambisa Forest.
“They came straight to the school, chased the pupils out, and the children scattered everywhere,” he said.
According to him, many older pupils managed to flee, but younger children were more vulnerable.
“They started picking the little children and loading them onto motorcycles,” he said.
Residents said the attackers arrived on about 18 motorcycles carrying multiple armed men.
Mr Chinda said soldiers stationed nearby were unable to fire directly because the insurgents had mixed themselves among fleeing children.
“The terrorists were mixed with the children, so the military had no way to stop them,” he said. “They could only shoot into the air.”
Families who fled to nearby mountains said they watched helplessly from a distance as the operation unfolded in under 30 minutes.
Parents described widespread grief across the community, with many mothers reportedly struggling emotionally.
Mr Chinda said his wife has found the ordeal particularly difficult.
“She is trying to cope, but it is very difficult,” he said.
He added that some households had two or three children abducted during the attack, deepening the trauma.
The incident has raised urgent questions about the protection of vulnerable schools and remote communities in insurgency-prone areas near Sambisa Forest.
Residents say the timing of troop movement and the inability to prevent the raid have heightened fear and frustration.
Efforts by PREMIUM TIMES to obtain updated comments from military authorities, including Operation Hadin Kai and Nigerian Army spokespersons, were unsuccessful as of press time. The officials did not answer phone calls or respond to text messages.
Affected families are urging the federal and Borno State governments, as well as security agencies, to intensify rescue operations.
