Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Tension erupted in the Lassa community of Askira/Uba Local Government Area on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, as angry youths forced a state government delegation to leave after rejecting its sympathy visit over the abduction of students by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The delegation, led by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, had visited the community to sympathise with families of students abducted during Monday's attack on Government Day Secondary School. However, the atmosphere turned rowdy when the commissioner attempted to address residents at the school premises, with youths and relatives of the abducted students chanting, "We don't want talk. Go and bring back our children". Some of the youths were heard chanting, "Don't play politics with our children". Efforts by the commissioner to calm the crowd were unsuccessful as the gathering became increasingly agitated, forcing him and members of the delegation to leave the community.
The confrontation came less than 24 hours after suspected ISWAP terrorists attacked the school at about 9 a.m. on Monday while candidates were writing the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination. The attackers, dressed in military uniforms, killed two teachers and abducted an unspecified number of students.
Although the exact number of those abducted has yet to be officially confirmed, parents told our correspondent on Tuesday that at least 37 students were still unaccounted for following the attack. A parent, Mbula Bura, whose 19-year-old daughter Esther Mbula is missing, said the state government had opened a register for families to report missing persons. Another parent, Emmanuel Dari, whose 16-year-old daughter Lucy Emmanuel was taken, said families had been thrown into panic.
Troops of Operation HADIN KAI had earlier rescued 10 victims, including teachers and students, during a coordinated search-and-rescue operation. Two security operatives, including a soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, were killed during the rescue operation. The Nigerian Army confirmed that the rescued victims were unhurt and receiving necessary care, while efforts remained ongoing to rescue the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The abduction of students from Lassa comes just 47 days after 42 pupils were abducted from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in the same Askira/Uba Local Government Area. The Borno State Government had previously ordered the closure of the Mussa school following that incident.
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