Gunmen suspected to be terrorists have abducted an unspecified number of students from the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa town, located in the Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
The development was confirmed on Monday by the Borno State Police Command’s spokesperson, Nahum Daso.
Speaking on the incident, the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, said the attackers wore military and forest guard uniforms.
He also noted that the bandits passed a military checkpoint before storming the school.
”Yes. There was an attack on students writing NECO exams. The terrorists came around past nine. They passed the military checkpoint. They wore military and forest guard attire. They shot sporadically,” Kaigama said.
He added that one teacher was killed, while another sustained gunshot injuries.
”They killed one teacher from Chibok. They shot another, but they are not dead yet. They also kidnapped some students and women selling on the school premises. The numbers are not yet known,” he added.
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Similarly, a resident of the community alleged the bandits came in numbers, adding that Nigerian military troops stationed in the area had left on a patrol to Uba, a nearby town approximately 16 kilometres away, just before the bandits struck.
”The soldiers were not around when the terrorists invaded. They came in large numbers, firing sporadically and causing panic everywhere,” the resident said.
While acknowledging the attack, the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command noted that several students are still missing following the raid.
Daso further disclosed that security forces engaged the attackers and prevented what could have been a larger abduction.
He said, “Around 9am in the morning, ISWAP attacked Lassa Day Secondary School. They shot sporadically. An unspecified number of students have been abducted.
”Security forces confronted them. For now, we have an unspecified number of students who were abducted. The CP deployed the Area Commander in Askira/Uba. They are currently combing the bush.”