Samaila Livinus sits with his grief held tightly inside, waiting for any news about his five-year-old son taken in one of Nigeria’s worst school kidnappings.
Two weeks after armed men stormed St Mary’s Catholic boarding school in Papiri, emotions remain raw but hope endures among anxious families.
Livinus says he tries to stay strong as he consoles his wife, who has barely eaten since the abduction shattered their home.
Their two other children, aged nine and three, keep asking where their brother has gone, deepening the family’s turmoil.
More than 300 pupils were seized during the night-time raid, though 50 later escaped, leaving 265 children, teachers and staff still in captivity.
Nigerian authorities say they have located the group and are negotiating for their release, but parents continue to live in fear and uncertainty.
Livinus, a maize and beans farmer, says the psychological strain has been overwhelming, forcing him to remain indoors as neighbours arrive daily with messages of sympathy.
He says he hides his tears to keep his family steady, fearing that breaking down might push his wife into deeper despair.
Uncertainty is the hardest part, he says, describing how death offers closure while captivity leaves parents imagining their children’s suffering.
A close friend who also lost two children in the kidnapping died days later from cardiac complications, deepening the community’s sorrow.
Livinus worries constantly about his son’s health, knowing the boy relies on medication that may now be out of reach.
He has turned to prayer and fasting, clutching his rosary repeatedly as he searches for strength and intervention.
On Monday, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu met church leaders in Kontagora, assuring them the children were alive and would soon return.
The meeting brought a flicker of relief, renewing hope among exhausted families waiting for an end to their nightmare.
Kidnappings have surged across rural Nigeria in recent years, but this case has sent shockwaves through the country as communities confront yet another painful chapter.