A former presidential candidate, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has condemned the abduction of pupils from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, as well as coordinated attacks on schools in the Ogbomoso axis of Oyo State.
Hashim described the incidents as a direct assault on the nation’s future, warning that the growing trend of attacks on schools could further deepen insecurity and disrupt education across affected communities.
The schools attacked in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State included Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esiele; and L.A Primary School, Esiele.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the former presidential candidate said the targeting of schoolchildren represented a dangerous dimension in the country’s security crisis.
According to him, schools should remain safe spaces for learning and not centres of fear and violence.
“Schools must never become theatres of fear,” he said, adding that repeated assaults on educational institutions could create long-term social and security consequences for the country.
Hashim sympathised with families affected by the incidents and called on the Federal Government and security agencies to intensify efforts toward the immediate rescue of the abducted children.
He stressed that the incidents highlighted continued weaknesses in rural security architecture, noting that criminal and insurgent groups were exploiting poverty, weak governance presence and unprotected territories.
While acknowledging recent military successes, including the reported elimination of an ISIS commander through joint Nigerian and United States operations, Hashim warned against relying solely on isolated victories in the fight against insecurity.
“This tragedy is a stark reminder that tactical victories alone cannot secure the nation,” he stated.
He urged the government to adopt a broader national security strategy that would combine sustained military operations with improved intelligence gathering, stronger border surveillance, enhanced rural policing and targeted socio-economic interventions.
Hashim also appealed to the international community to pay closer attention to the worsening security situation in Northern Nigeria, warning that the crisis could have wider implications for West and Central Africa.
He further expressed concern over what he described as growing global indifference to the repeated abduction of African children.
“The world must not become desensitised,” he said.
The former presidential candidate added that Nigeria’s development and stability would remain under threat if schools and children continued to come under attack.
“No nation can thrive when its children are hunted and its schools are under siege,” he added.
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