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Heavily armed insurgents suspected to be Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, fighters attacked Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba LGA, Borno State, at about 9:00 a.m. on Monday. Students aged 16-17 were writing their National Examinations Council, NECO, papers when the gunmen stormed the premises.
Eyewitness accounts say the attackers fired indiscriminately, forcing students, invigilators, and external examiners to flee. In the chaos, an unconfirmed number of students were abducted. Local sources also reported that several women running food stalls inside the school were taken away.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident. Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, said security personnel were deployed immediately and engaged the fleeing fighters in a gun battle. “For now, we have an unconfirmed number of missing students,” he stated.
The Commissioner of Police has directed the Askira/Uba Area Commander to lead an intensive search-and-rescue operation. Joint security teams are combing forests and suspected insurgent routes around Lassa to locate the victims.
As of press time, school authorities and security officials were still taking a headcount to determine the exact number of missing students and civilian vendors. Reinforcements have been posted to neighboring schools in the area.
The Lassa incident comes six weeks after armed men attacked three schools in Oriire LGA, Oyo State, on May 15, abducting pupils and teachers and killing a teacher. The recurrence has renewed concerns about the targeting of schools during examinations.
Parents and education stakeholders in Askira/Uba described the attack as devastating, coming at a time when students were sitting for a critical national exam. Many called for urgent reinforcement of school security across Borno’s border LGAs.
Authorities say operations are ongoing to secure the area and rescue those abducted. The police have urged residents with information to contact security agencies to aid the rescue effort.
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