Nigeria: Parents anxiously waiting for the release of kidnapped schoolgirls

Parents of the kidnapped schoolgirls in Nigeria are anxiously waiting for any word on their children's release. Many are still in shock after hearing the heartbreaking news early Monday morning.

Before dawn, gunmen stormed a high school in northwestern Nigeria, abducting 25 schoolgirls and killing at least one staff member.

Aisha Sani, a mother of two kidnapped girls, describes the painful moment: "Our two girls have been kidnapped. One was in SS3 and the other in SS2. The news reached us in the morning, when we woke up and heard the story. We had heard a gunshot in the night, but we thought it was from the security team. Unfortunately, they were not the ones. It was not until morning that we received the shocking news."

For Usman Muhammad, whose two daughters are also missing, the trauma runs deep. He fears that without better security, no parent will risk sending their children back to school: "No child will go back to school if adequate security is not provided. The school will not function again because the parents are saying they will not take their children there anymore due to the lack of security."

Authorities report the girls were taken from their dormitories in Maga, in the Danko-Wasagu area, at 4 a.m. Monday.

School principal Hajia Rabi Musa Magaji tried to reassure worried parents: "All those people who are supposed to show concern, they are all here. That assures us that our girls will be rescued. And they briefed the parents, with this assurance, we are very much sure that very soon, our students will be rescued."

Since 2014, when Boko Haram abducted 276 Chibok schoolgirls, such attacks have instilled persistent fear among parents. Many children remain in captivity, and despite new security measures, the scars left on parents and their communities are deep and lasting.

Based on reporting by Africanews.