THE Borno State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of an unspecified number of students sitting for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination after suspected terrorists attacked a secondary school in Lassa community, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of the state on Monday, June 29.
The command said it had deployed security operatives to the area, where they are currently combing nearby forests in a bid to rescue the abducted victims and apprehend the attackers.
The spokesperson for the command, Nahum Daso, confirmed the incident on Monday, saying the attack occurred at about 9 a.m. when suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) invaded Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, and opened fire.
“Around 9 a.m. this morning, ISWAP attacked Lassa Day Secondary School. They shot sporadically. An unspecified number of students have been abducted,” Daso said.
He added that security forces engaged the attackers during the assault, preventing what could have been a larger-scale abduction.
“Security forces confronted them. For now, we have an unspecified number of students who were abducted. The CP (commissioner of police) has deployed the Area Commander in Askira/Uba. They are currently combing the bush,” he said.
The latest attack comes about six weeks after suspected Boko Haram insurgents abducted 42 pupils and students from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, also in Askira/Uba Local Government Area.
On May 15, suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School and surrounding communities in the LGA, abducted 42 students and teachers.
Similarly, in Oyo, on the same day, gunmen launched coordinated raids on Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esiele; and L.A. Primary School in Oriire Local Government Area, whisked away 39 pupils and seven teachers. The attackers reportedly killed at least one teacher during the operation before marching the victims into the forest.
More than 40 days after the incident, the victims remain in captivity despite repeated assurances from authorities that rescue efforts were underway.
Since then, relatives in both states have endured weeks of uncertainty, with many saying they have received little information about the condition of their loved ones. Parents, community leaders and civil society groups have repeatedly appealed to authorities to intensify efforts to secure the victims’ release.
The union later staged protests in Oyo, Maiduguri and other parts of the country, demanding urgent government action to secure the release of the captives, as frustration mounted among residents of the affected communities.
The renewed attack also comes despite repeated assurances by President Bola Tinubu that his administration is prioritising security. In his June 12 Democracy Day address, the president acknowledged the continued captivity of schoolchildren abducted in Borno and Oyo states, describing the incidents as a source of national concern.
“We remain hopeful for their safe return,” Tinubu said, adding that the Federal Government had declared a security emergency, approved the recruitment of more than 50,000 police officers and thousands of military personnel, and allocated N5.41 trillion to defence and security in the 2026 budget.
The ICIR reports that the latest assault shows the persistent insecurity confronting communities in many parts of the country, where schools have repeatedly come under attack more than a decade after the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction drew global attention to the vulnerability of educational institutions in Nigeria’s North-East.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M