Bring our loved ones home, abductees’ families beg Tinubu

The coalition of families of the 13 travellers, including children, women and members of the National Youth Service Corps abducted while travelling from Biu to Maiduguri, have appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, to rescue their relatives who have now spent two months in captivity.

The spokesperson of the families, Hassan Yati, made the appeal on Saturday during a press conference in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

While commending the efforts of the government for the recent rescue of 360 abducted women and children from the Ngoshe community, he called for urgent action to ensure the safe return of their relatives, who have now spent 60 days after their abduction on April 15.

“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.

“While we 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, our joy remains incomplete because our loved ones are still in captivity,” he said.

Yati disclosed that the abductions have forced families into frustration and left many broken.

“Today marks exactly 60 painful days since they disappeared. Sixty days of unanswered questions, sixty days of sleepless nights, sixty days of children waiting at the door for parents who never returned home.

“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. Since then, silence has surrounded their fate,” Yati recalled.

According to the spokesman, among those abducted were a mother carrying her seven-month-old baby who had only just recovered from an illness, young graduates travelling to Maiduguri to process their NYSC deployment and 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. Please help us bring our loved ones home,” he pleaded.

Yati urged the government to expedite action towards their release in order to ease the pain on the families.

“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,” he begged.