But while Hajara’s victory filled our screens, two villages in Borno State wept in darkness.
But 700 kilometers away, in Lassa village, Askira/Uba, Borno State, another group of young girls woke to a nightmare.
A teacher was slaughtered by kidnappers—her only crime being that she dared to educate children. Her students, young girls who once dreamed of becoming leaders, and doctor’s, engineers, pilots, nurse’s etc, now sit in empty classrooms, while some are hostages their futures hanging by a thread.
This young girls where writing NECO examination hoping to be graduate in few days
Hajara’s triumph proves what Nigerian children can achieve when nurtured. The girls of Lassa prove what happens when they are abandoned. While one child was given the platform to shine, countless others are being sold, silenced, and sacrificed for material gain—and the media looks away simply because their suffering does not fit the “acceptable” narrative.
And in May, in Mussa village—also in Askira/Uba—48 primary and junior secondary school children were kidnapped. Forty-eight young souls. Forty-eight dreams. Forty-eight families torn apart by grief.
But here is the painful truth: no one is talking about them.
On that very same day, children from Oriiri, Oyo State, were also kidnapped. And what happened? High-profile delegates from the federal government were dispatched. Southern media erupted with round-the-clock coverage. Presidents, governors, and celebrities voiced their outrage. The world watched. The world cared.
But Mussa’s 48 children? Silence.
Why? Because they are from the Northeast. Because they are from Borno. Because they are from a region dismissed as “backward” by those who should know better. The same media that chases every story from the South West, South South, and South East has turned a blind eye to Mussa. The same leaders who rush to Oriiri have not uttered a single word about Mussa. Not one. Up till now.
Two kidnappings. Same day. Same country. But only one matters to those in power.
Hajara’s triumph proves what Nigerian children can achieve when nurtured. The children of Lassa and Mussa prove what happens when they are abandoned. While one child was given the platform to shine, 48 others were taken into the shadows—and the world chose to look away.
This is not just a story of victory or tragedy. It is a mirror held up to a nation that chooses which lives matter. It is a damning indictment of leaders who think only of themselves, their families, and their power—despite the numbers and strength God has given them. It is a cry against a media that amplifies some voices while burying others because they don’t fit the “acceptable” narrative.
They have forgotten that leadership is not a crown—it is a burden carried for the vulnerable.
Will we celebrate the champion while ignoring the cries of the forgotten?
The champion, Hajara, deserves every applause. But what of the 48 children of Mussa? What of the girls of Lassa whose teacher died for their education? What of their mothers who have not slept since their children were taken? What of their fathers who have no delegate to call, no camera to plead to, no federal government delegation knocking on their door?
Forty-eight children. Zero headlines. Zero delegates. Zero justice.
The girls of Lassa and the children of Mussa are waiting. Their teacher is dead. Their leaders are silent. The media is indifferent. But you—you are reading this. And in reading, you become their witness.
Share their story. Speak their names. Demand that the same urgency given to Oriiri be given to Mussa. Demand that every Nigerian child—whether from Borno or Oyo, whether celebrated or invisible—be seen, valued, and protected.
Because a nation that celebrates one child while abandoning 48 others is not a nation—it is a tragedy waiting to be told. And silence in the face of such injustice is the greatest betrayal of all.
Report as of yesterday 10 from Lassa girls secondary has been rescued, what about the remaining unknown numbers?
Hamman Abdulkareem
www.hammanmedia.com.nh
