Many students feared abducted as ISWAP terrorists attack Borno school during NECO exams

Many students are feared to have been abducted after suspected Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, terrorists attacked a secondary school in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State during the National Examinations Council, NECO, examination.

The attackers reportedly stormed Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, at about 9:00 a.m. on Monday while students were writing their NECO examination.

According to reports, the terrorists fired sporadically, causing panic before abducting an unspecified number of students.

Some women selling food items within the school premises were also reportedly kidnapped during the attack.

The Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying security operatives were immediately deployed to the area to rescue the victims and track down the attackers.

The command’s spokesperson, ASP Nahum Daso, said security personnel engaged the terrorists, preventing what could have been a larger-scale abduction.

“Around 9 a.m., ISWAP attacked Government Day Secondary School in Lassa. They shot sporadically, and an unspecified number of students were abducted,” Daso said.

“Security forces confronted them. For now, we have an unspecified number of students who were abducted. The Commissioner of Police has deployed the Area Commander in Askira/Uba, and security personnel are currently combing the bush in search of the victims.”

As of the time of filing this report, authorities had yet to confirm the exact number of students and other victims abducted during the attack, while search and rescue operations were ongoing.