The presidential candidate of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), Dr. Johnson Emmanuel Chukwuka, on Sunday, criticised what he described as unequal attention to the plight of schoolchildren allegedly kidnapped in Borno State.

The DLA presidential candidate argued that every Nigerian child deserves equal protection and concern, regardless of geographical location or ethnic background.

In a statement, Chukwuka said no fewer than 37 children remain missing following an attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

He also question why the incident has not received the same level of national concern as a similar case in Oyo State.

Chukwuka urged Nigerians, particularly those in the northern part of the country, to pay closer attention to what he called a pattern of unequal responses to national tragedies.

He said: “No fewer than 37 innocent children are still missing after the brutal attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. These young lives were snatched away at almost the exact same time as the schoolchildren in Oyo State.

“Yet one tragedy dominates the headlines, commands urgent government action, and receives national attention, while the other is quietly pushed aside. Is this equality? Is this justice? Is this the Nigeria we claim to build?.

“When some children’s lives are treated as urgent and others are treated as afterthoughts, it is not governance, it is selective humanity. It is a dangerous signal that some citizens matter more than others simply because of where they come from.

“Northerners especially must open their eyes. The cards being played with your children’s lives are clear for anyone willing to see. This silence, this imbalance, this selective outrage is not accidental. It is a pattern. And it is deeply saddening.”

He questioned how long citizens would continue to accept what he termed a double standard in addressing security challenges affecting different parts of the country.

The presidential hopeful also urged Nigerians to make informed decisions in future elections, saying the country needs leaders who place equal value on the lives of every citizen.

He added, “In the forthcoming elections, Nigerians, particularly those in the North, must rise above sentiment and make deliberate, wiser choices. Leadership that values every Nigerian child equally is not a privilege. It is a right. Anything less is a betrayal.”