Families protest in Nigeria over children abducted nearly 100 days ago

Parents of children abducted from Nigeria's northeastern Borno state protested in Uba town on Thursday, demanding the federal government secure their release nearly 100 days after they were taken.

The children were seized from their classrooms on May 15 in Mussa, a community on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest, a long-time stronghold of Islamist militants.

The protest underscored families' frustration as kidnappings persist despite years of military operations against Boko Haram and its Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) offshoot in northeastern Nigeria. While the insurgency has weakened since its peak, both groups continue to stage attacks on civilians, schools and security forces across Borno and neighbouring states.

The abduction was followed by another attack in nearby Lassa on June 29, where 36 students and a teacher also remain captive. Last month, authorities secured the release of schoolchildren abducted by gunmen from schools in southwest Oyo state after nearly two months in captivity.

A police spokesperson said the military is "on top of the situation" but declined further comment, directing enquiries to the military. A spokesperson for the military did not respond to requests for comment.

"We still have not seen them," said Chinda Buba, whose child was among those abducted. "We do not know where our children are. We don't know whether they are healthy or going through difficult conditions."

Peace Nicolos, whose two children, aged 3-1/2 and 8-1/2, are among the missing, said families lived in constant anxiety.

"We worry every day and struggle to eat," she said. "We are pleading with the government to rescue them."

Orbet Lawan Yakubu, representing the traditional ruler of Mussa, said around 45 children remained unaccounted for.

"There is nothing more painful than separating very young children from their parents," he said. "The entire community is affected because almost every family is connected to those who were taken."

(Reporting by Ahmed Kingimi, Writing by Ben Ezeamalu; Editing by Lincoln Feast)