37 Students Still Missing After Borno School Attack as Parents Raise Alarm

(Government Day Secondary School in Lassa. Photo by Punch News)

No fewer than 37 children are reportedly still missing following an att@ck on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday.

It was reported that t3rrorists att@cked the school at about 9 a.m. while candidates were writing the National Examinations Council examination, k!lling two teachers and abducting an unspecified number of students.

In interviews on Tuesday, parents said the state government had opened a register for families to report missing persons.

A parent, Mbula Bura, whose 19-year-old daughter was abducted, said 37 names had been registered as missing, explaining that parents who could not find their children were invited to come and register, and that he discovered 37 names had been registered so far as missing, including his daughter, Esther Mbula, who is in SSS2.

Another parent, Emmanuel Dari, whose daughter was abducted, said families had been thrown into panic since the att@ck.

He explained that his 16-year-old daughter, Lucy Emmanuel, also in SSS2, was in the classroom when the t3rrorists took the students away, noting that the family had not been able to sleep since the incident.

He said he initially felt confused upon hearing about the att@ck, then briefly relieved upon hearing of the rescue, only to discover that his daughter and many other parents' children could not be found.

According to him, the state government had sent a delegation led by the Commissioner for Education, Lawan Wakilbe, to assess the situation.

Meanwhile, a resident of the town, Bitrus Milnda, said two of his relatives were among those abducted, identifying them as Martha Wajau and Abori Ujulu, both in SSS1.

When contacted for comments, the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, neither answered nor returned calls.

It was earlier reported that the Nigerian Army confirmed the rescue of 10 victims, including teachers and students, abducted during the att@ck.

The Acting Military Information Officer, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Muhammed Goni, said in a statement on Monday that two security operatives, including a soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, were k!lled during the rescue operation.

Goni said the 10 victims were rescued unhurt by ground troops with support from air platforms providing guidance after troops made contact with the abductors around the Daggu area of the local government.

He explained that troops of Operation HADIN KAI had successfully rescued 10 NECO candidates and teachers abducted during an ISWAP att@ck on Lassa Community, noting that upon receipt of the report, the Theatre Command scrambled strike and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance aircraft to support troops mobilised to the area for a coordinated search-and-rescue operation.

He said the troops, with air support providing guidance, made contact with the att@ckers around Daggu, and after the firefight, the operation resulted in the rescue of 10 unhurt victims who are now receiving care, while efforts remain ongoing to rescue the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.

He added that during the encounter, troops outmanoeuvred the fleeing t3rrorists, inflicted casualties on them and recovered seven motorcycles, but regrettably, one soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force paid the supreme sacrifice during the intense firefight with the t3rrorists.