The successful rescue operations in Oriire LGA may have waken up the Middle Belt Forum, whose leaders have demanded that govrnments replicate the rescue operatrion in Borno and Kaduna states in Northern Nigeria.

The Forum observed that the nation exhaled when school children and teachers abducted in Oyo State were brought home safely. It noted that for a few days, Nigeria felt united in joy, reminded that protecting lives is the first duty of government, written plainly in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.

The Forum stated that on same day, hundreds of miles away, a different nightmare unfolded. Boko Haram fighters stormed Government Day Secondary School in Mussa, Askira/Uba LGA, Borno State, the compound held a secondary, primary, and nursery school.

The Middle Belt Forum said that 42 children were kdnapped, some barely two years old. Two weeks later, on June 29, the bandits struck again in Lassa, also in Askira/Uba. As students were writing exams, gunmen abducted 36 students and one staff member, and killed a teacher. "This time there were no nationwide vigils, no rolling news coverage, no daily briefings. "The silence was almost total," the Forum lamented.

The Forum also said that In August 2025, seven children were taken from Shikarkir in Chibok LGA and have not returned. In Southern Kaduna, the pain repeated too. On Easter Sunday, April 6, 2026, gunmen attacked three churches in Ariko Village, Kachia LGA. Seven worshippers were killed and 37 people, mostly women and children, were abducted, including an elderly blind man. It noted that one woman gave birth in captivity. Some have reportedly died from the conditions. Just two weeks later, Awon community was hit again: two people killed, 11 were kidnapped. Those families have waited months with little word from those sworn to protect them.

The Middle Belt Forum asserted that the contrast is impossible to ignore. While resources are being spent on programs for repentant fighters in Borno and Kaduna, the children of Mussa, Lassa, Shikarkir, Ariko, and Awon remain in captivity, the Forum decried, stating that silence sends a dangerous message: that some Nigerian lives count more than others.

The Forum, reiterated demand to state and federal governments to match the urgency shown in Oyo State with regular updates, coordinated rescue efforts, and visible concerns for every community, not just those that make national headlines.