Security forces launch search operation after suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters attack secondary school in Askira/Uba LGA…..
Panic erupted in Borno State on Monday after suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents attacked a secondary school in Lassa community, Askira/Uba Local Government Area, abducting several students who were writing the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination.
The gunmen reportedly invaded Government Day Secondary School at about 9 a.m., disrupting the examination and forcing an unknown number of students into captivity.
The attack also turned deadly, with one teacher reportedly killed while another sustained injuries during the assault.
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Daso, said security agencies have launched a coordinated search operation to rescue the missing students.
According to him, the attackers, believed to be members of Boko Haram or the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), stormed the community on motorcycles before carrying out the attack.
“Today at about 9 a.m., suspected members of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists invaded the Lassa community on motorcycles,” Daso said.
He added that while the exact number of abducted students has yet to be determined, police officers, military personnel, local hunters, and members of vigilante groups have been deployed to comb surrounding areas in search of the victims.
The latest attack has renewed concerns over the safety of schools in parts of northern Nigeria, where educational institutions have repeatedly been targeted by armed groups.
It also comes amid a series of recent school abductions across the country.
Between May 13 and 14, suspected militants attacked a primary school in Chibok, Borno State, abducting 42 children. A day later, on May 15, another attack in the Ahoro-Esiele/Yawota axis of Oriire Local Government Area in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, saw gunmen kidnap 39 students and seven teachers from three schools.
Those incidents triggered nationwide condemnation and prompted the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), alongside other education stakeholders, to stage two days of protests demanding stronger security measures for schools and improved protection for students and teachers.
