Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Security operatives have rescued seven students who were among those abducted during a brazen attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa town, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, on Monday, June 29, 2026. The assault, carried out by suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters, disrupted the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination and left one teacher dead, another injured, and an unspecified number of students and food vendors still missing.
The attackers, reportedly dressed in military camouflage and riding motorcycles, invaded the school around 9 a.m. on a busy market day, shooting sporadically and throwing the community into chaos. Eyewitnesses said the gunmen swept through the town unchallenged, whisking away an unspecified number of candidates and teachers to an unknown destination. One teacher was shot dead during the assault, while another sustained gunshot injuries.
Residents alleged that Nigerian military troops stationed in the area had left on a patrol to nearby Uba, about 16 kilometres from Lassa, just before the insurgents struck. “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,” an eyewitness said.
Following the attack, a coordinated search-and-rescue operation was launched by security operatives, including the Army, Police, and local Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF). The Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, confirmed that seven of the abducted students had been rescued. “For now, seven of them have been rescued. We cannot confirm their gender yet. Assessment is still ongoing,” Tar said.
Police spokesperson ASP Nahum Daso stated that security forces confronted the attackers, preventing a larger-scale abduction. “Around 9 a.m. 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,” Daso said.
The President of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, told journalists that the attackers wore military and forest guard uniforms and passed through a military checkpoint before storming the school. “They killed one teacher from Chibok. They shot another, but not dead yet. They also kidnapped some students and women selling on the school premises. The numbers are not yet out,” he said.
Residents who spoke claimed that two teachers and one female student were killed during the attack, with the student reportedly shot in the mouth. The Chairman of Askira/Uba Local Government Area, Mada Saidu, declined to comment, saying, “I am very busy now. We are in a situation”.
The attack on Lassa comes just 47 days after 42 pupils of Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School were abducted in the same Askira/Uba Local Government Area. In May 2026, suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, abducting 42 students and pupils. The senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, had said the abductees comprised four students of Government Day Secondary School, 28 primary school pupils, and 10 children abducted from their homes.
The latest attack has once again raised concerns over the safety of schools in parts of Borno State, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted educational institutions despite ongoing military operations in the North-East region. Parents and residents have continued to gather anxiously near the school and surrounding communities as they await updates on the fate of the missing students.
Security authorities have assured that all necessary measures are being deployed to secure the release of the abducted students and prevent further attacks on schools in the area. As search teams comb surrounding communities and suspected escape routes, the exact number of missing candidates has yet to be confirmed.
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