Parents wait outside the Government Science Secondary school in Kankara, in northwestern Katsina State, Nigeria on December 16, 2020. - Boko Haram on Tuesday claimed the abduction of hundreds of students, from Government Science Secondary school, looks on in Kankara, in northwestern Katsina State, Nigeria. (Photo by Kola Sulaimon / AFP)
Insecurity in northeast Nigeria: students abducted during school exam
Terror struck the town of Lassa in Borno State early this morning as Boko Haram fighters launched a violent raid on a government secondary school. The attackers stormed the premises while students were in the middle of a biology examination, leading to the mass abduction of several young learners.
The militants reportedly infiltrated the area by taking advantage of the large crowds gathered for Lassa‘s weekly market. Arriving on motorcycles, they bypassed security measures to reach the educational facility. Nahum Kenneth Daso, the police spokesperson for Borno State, confirmed the details of the assault, noting the calculated timing of the strike.
Casualties and security response
The violence resulted in the tragic death of a teacher on the school grounds before the armed group fled with their captives. In response, the Nigerian security forces immediately initiated a pursuit operation to track the insurgents and rescue the victims.
During a fierce confrontation near the village of Daggu, a soldier lost his life while engaging the kidnappers. Mohammed Musa Goni, the deputy commander of Operation Hadin Kai, provided updates on the situation, confirming that ten students have already been successfully liberated from captivity.
These rescued students are currently receiving medical attention and psychological support to help them recover from the ordeal. Their health status is reported as stable, though the search for the remaining missing students continues in the region.
A persistent regional threat
This latest incident underscores the ongoing instability in northeast Nigeria, where Boko Haram has been active since the early 2000s. Since 2009, the group’s insurgency has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes.
The violence is not contained within Nigeria‘s borders; the group has frequently extended its reach into neighboring Cameroun, Tchad, and Niger. In the Lake Chad basin alone, the conflict has resulted in at least 2,000 deaths, as regional forces continue to battle the extremist threat.
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