Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, has released the identities of 36 students still being held by suspected Boko Haram insurgents after Monday’s deadly attack on the school.
The students were among candidates sitting for the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination when gunmen invaded the school and abducted dozens of people.
School records showed that the missing students include 25 female candidates and 11 male candidates. Their identities emerged as authorities continue efforts to secure their release.
The disclosure gives a clearer picture of the scale of the abduction and has further raised concerns over the safety of students in Nigeria’s troubled North-East region.
Initial reports indicated that 43 persons were taken during the attack. This figure included 41 students and two teachers. However, seven victims have since regained freedom following rescue efforts by security operatives.
Those rescued include five female students and two teachers.
A teacher who regained freedom confirmed that many of the students remain in captivity, despite ongoing rescue operations.
Earlier, POLITICS NIGERIA reported that troops of Operation HADIN KAI, with support from the Nigerian Air Force, launched a pursuit operation shortly after the attack. The troops reportedly tracked the fleeing insurgents into nearby bushes and engaged them in a gun battle.
Security sources also disclosed that motorcycles used by the attackers were recovered during the operation.
A staff member of the school, who spoke anonymously due to security concerns, described the attack as devastating and deadly.
According to the source, a teacher, a soldier, and a local hunter lost their lives while resisting the attackers.
“They paid the supreme sacrifice while trying to stop the terrorists from taking away the students.”
The attack happened while students were writing their NECO examinations. Reports indicate that the insurgents entered Lassa community on motorcycles and disguised themselves as soldiers and members of the newly introduced Forest Guards.
The attackers reportedly took advantage of the town’s market day before launching the assault.
Witnesses said the gunmen opened fire, causing panic across the area. During the attack, a teacher was killed before the insurgents forcefully took students into nearby forest areas.
The Borno State Government has confirmed that the abducted students are between the ages of 15 and 18.
Authorities said joint rescue efforts involving the military, police, Civilian Joint Task Force, and local vigilante groups are ongoing.
The latest abduction has again renewed fears over the continued targeting of schools by Boko Haram and its rival faction, ISWAP, despite repeated assurances by security authorities on the protection of learning institutions in the region.
The incident has also triggered fresh concerns over the worsening security situation in southern Borno.
Recall that Politics Nigeria earlier reported that the attack on Lassa came barely 24 hours after another kidnapping incident in the Askira/Uba axis, where several women working on farms were abducted by gunmen.
