Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted an unspecified number of students from the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa town, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, in a chilling attack that occurred while the students were writing their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) organised by the National Examinations Council (NECO).
The attack, which took place on Monday morning, left one teacher dead and another injured after the gunmen stormed the community firing sporadically, sending residents and students into a state of panic.
Residents who spoke to journalists raised concerns that Nigerian military troops stationed in the area had departed on a patrol to Uba, a nearby town approximately 16 kilometres away, shortly before the bandits struck, leaving the community vulnerable.
One resident recounted the harrowing scene, saying:
“The soldiers were not around when the terrorists invaded. They came in large numbers, firing sporadically and causing panic everywhere. They took away students writing NECO and their teachers.”
Spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Daso, confirmed the incident and acknowledged that several students remain missing following the raid.
The attack has drawn widespread outrage across the country, coming barely weeks after a similar abduction of schoolchildren in Oyo State, raising fresh concerns about the safety of students in Nigeria’s most vulnerable communities.
