Boko Haram Abduction: Borno school publishes list of 36 missing students

Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, has revealed the identity of the 36 victims abducted in Monday’s assault on the school by suspected members of the dreaded Boko Haram insurgents group.

The 36 victims are among the candidates writing the on-going NECO Senior School Certificate Examination who were abducted when gunmen invaded the school and kidnapped several people.

School records show that the victims are made up of 25 female candidates and 11 male candidates.

This development has shed light on the number of victims abducted as security operatives continue their rescue operation for the abducted students.

While initial reports pointed to the fact that 43 persons, which included 41 students and two teachers, had been abducted in the attack, seven persons have already been rescued from captivity.

These include five female students and two teachers.

One of the two rescued teachers has stated that a good number of the students were still in captivity despite ongoing military operations.

It was learned that troops of Operation HADIN KAI in collaboration with Nigerian Air Force have since carried out a pursuit operation of the fleeing suspects into nearby bushes where gun battle took place.

Security sources said several motorcycles thought to be used by the gunmen were retrieved during the mission.

One of the members of staff at the school, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, referred to the attack as a disaster.

The source added that one teacher, a soldier, and a local hunter died while trying to stop the insurgents from kidnapping the children.

“They paid the supreme sacrifice while trying to stop the terrorists from taking away the students,” the source said.

According to eyewitness accounts, the gunmen were said to have attacked Lassa community using motorcycles dressed up as soldiers and Forest Guards, the latter which is the newly introduced group.

It was reported that the insurgents took advantage of the market day in the town prior to their attack.

Witnesses noted that the gunmen started shooting without any provocation, thereby creating chaos in the community until they were able to abduct the students in forest areas.

The Borno State Government has since confirmed that the abducted students are between ages 15 to 18.

Rescue missions by the military, police and Civilian Joint Task Force among others are said to be ongoing.

The recent attack has raised alarm bells about the continuous attacks by Boko Haram and ISWAP against educational institutions in spite of assurances by security agencies regarding their protection in the North East region.

The situation has further escalated fear about the worsening security situation in southern Borno.

The attack took place just within 24 hours of another kidnapping incident in Askira/Uba axis where some women engaged in farm work were kidnapped by gunmen.