At least 37 Borno state students are still missing following Monday’s attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area.
Terrorists struck the school at 9 a.m. on Monday as pupils were taking the National Examinations Council exam, murdering two instructors and abducting an unspecified number of kids.
In discussions with our correspondent on Tuesday, parents stated that the state administration had established a registry for families to report missing persons.
Mbula Bura, the parent of a 19-year-old kidnapping victim, reported that authorities had listed 37 names as missing.
He said, “Parents who could not find their children were invited to come and register. I discovered that 37 names have been registered so far as missing.
“My 19-year-old daughter, Esther Mbula, is still missing. She is in SSS2.”
Another dad, Emmanuel Dari, whose daughter was kidnapped, stated that families have been driven into terror since the attack.
He said, “My 16-year-old daughter is in SSS2. Her name is Lucy Emmanuel. She was in the classroom when the terrorists took them away. Since yesterday, we have not been able to sleep.
“When I heard about the attack, we were confused. Later, I became happy when I heard about the rescue. However, when I got there, neither my daughter nor many other parents’ children could be found,” he said.
According to him, the state government sent a delegation led by the Commissioner for Education, Lawan Wakilbe, to inspect the situation in town.
“The state Commissioner for Education is currently here. They came to see us and assess the situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, Bitrus Milnda, a native of the town, told PUNCH Online that two of his relatives had been taken.
“Two victims, both related to me on my mother’s side, were abducted. Their names are Martha Wajau and Abori Ujulu. They are both in SSS1,” he said.
When asked for comments, Usman Tar, the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, would not answer or return calls.
Chronicle NG reports that the Nigerian Army confirmed the rescue of 10 victims, including teachers and students, abducted during the attack.
Capt. Muhammed Goni, the acting military information officer for the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, stated in a statement on Monday that two security personnel, including a soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, were killed during the rescue operation.
Goni stated that the ten victims were rescued unharmed by ground soldiers with assistance from air platforms after troops made contact with the abductors in the Daggu district of the local government.
The statement read, “Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have successfully rescued 10 National Examinations Council candidates and teachers abducted during an ISWAP attack on Lassa Community in the Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
“Immediately upon receipt of the report of the incident, the Theatre Command scrambled both strike and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft from the Air Component of OPHK to support troops mobilised to the area for a coordinated search-and-rescue operation.
“The troops, with support from the air platforms overhead providing guidance, made contact around Daggu, and, after the firefight, the operation has so far resulted in the successful rescue of 10 victims, who were unhurt and are currently receiving the necessary care and support, while efforts remain ongoing to rescue the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
He claimed that during the engagement, troops outmanoeuvred the fleeing militants, inflicting fatalities and recovering seven motorcycles.
“Regrettably, during the intense firefight, one gallant soldier of OPHK and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force paid the supreme sacrifice in the exchange of fire with the terrorists,” he said.
