UPDATED: Police Launch Massive Search After Terrorists Abduct NECO Students in Borno

UPDATED: Police Launch Massive Search After Terrorists Abduct NECO Students in Borno

The Borno State Police Command has launched a large-scale search-and-rescue operation following the abduction of an unspecified number of students sitting for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, after suspected ISWAP terrorists attacked their school on Monday morning.

The incident, which has sparked renewed concerns over the safety of schools in Nigeria’s North-East, occurred at about 9:00 a.m. when heavily armed gunmen stormed Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, firing indiscriminately before whisking away several students. Women selling food within the school premises were also reportedly abducted during the raid.

The attack disrupted the ongoing NECO examination, forcing students and teachers to flee for safety as the community descended into panic.

Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, said security operatives responded swiftly after receiving distress calls and engaged the attackers, preventing what could have resulted in an even larger abduction.

According to Daso, although the exact number of abducted students has yet to be confirmed, the Commissioner of Police immediately deployed the Area Commander in Askira/Uba alongside additional security personnel to coordinate rescue efforts.

He disclosed that police officers, soldiers and other security agencies are currently combing nearby forests and surrounding communities in search of the abducted victims.

“Around 9 a.m. in the morning, ISWAP attacked Lassa Day Secondary School. They shot sporadically. An unspecified number of students have been abducted. Security forces confronted them. The Commissioner of Police has deployed the Area Commander, and security operatives are currently combing the bush,” Daso said.

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• A resident of Lassa and the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, Solomon Kwamagar, also confirmed the attack.

Kwamagar explained that the assailants entered Lassa through the weekly market on motorcycles before heading directly to the secondary school where students were writing their examinations.

He said one teacher was killed during the attack while several students were taken away.

“Today is Lassa market day. I was informed that they came through the market on motorcycles and went to Government Day Secondary School, Lassa. They shot and killed one teacher and took away all the students who were in their classrooms,” he said.

Kwamagar noted that he was still making efforts to verify the total number of students and teachers abducted during the incident.

The President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, alleged that the attackers disguised themselves in military and forest guard uniforms, allowing them to move through security checkpoints before launching the assault.

According to him, another teacher sustained gunshot injuries, while several students and women selling food within the school premises were also kidnapped.

He added that authorities were still compiling the number of victims.

Meanwhile, some residents claimed the casualty figure could be higher than officially reported, alleging that two teachers and one female student were killed during the attack. They also claimed the student died after being shot in the mouth.

However, security authorities have not confirmed those additional casualty claims.

Efforts to obtain comments from the Chairman of Askira/Uba Local Government Area, Mada Saidu, were unsuccessful as he declined to speak, saying officials were responding to the emergency.

Similarly, the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, neither answered telephone calls nor responded to text messages seeking official reaction.

The latest attack comes only weeks after another mass abduction of schoolchildren in the same Askira/Uba Local Government Area, underscoring the persistent security challenges facing communities across Borno State despite ongoing military operations against insurgent groups.

Security experts say repeated attacks on educational institutions continue to threaten access to education in conflict-affected communities, with students increasingly becoming targets during school activities and public examinations.

As of the time of filing this report, security operatives were continuing intensive search operations across surrounding forests, while authorities appealed to residents to remain calm and provide credible information that could assist in rescuing the abducted students and apprehending those responsible.

The incident has once again renewed national concerns about the protection of schools and candidates participating in public examinations, particularly in Nigeria’s insurgency-affected North-East region.

UPDATED: Police Launch Massive Search After Terrorists Abduct NECO Students in Borno