Gunmen stormed Government Day Secondary School in Lassa on Monday. The school sits in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State. Security sources believe Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists carried out the assault.
The attackers struck during the National Examinations Council exam. They seized an unspecified number of students. The gunmen arrived around 9 am. They fired their weapons repeatedly. Students screamed and ran for cover. Teachers scrambled to protect the children. Panic swept through the entire community.
The gunmen killed one teacher during the raid and wounded another teacher. The exact number of casualties remains unclear at this time.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the incident. Spokesperson ASP Nahum Daso addressed journalists in Maiduguri. He admitted that some students remain unaccounted for.
Daso gave a chilling account of the raid.
“At about 9 a.m., an unspecified number of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists attacked a secondary school and shot sporadically into the air. During the attack, an unspecified number of students were abducted, while some are still missing,” Daso said.
He declined to confirm any deaths immediately. The command needs more time to verify the reports. Daso explained that security teams have already mobilized. The military joined forces with the Civilian Joint Task Force. The area commander in Askira Uba also deployed his men. Together, they launched a coordinated search and rescue operation.
Daso said the teams are currently combing surrounding forests. They hope to rescue the abducted students quickly. They also want to capture the terrorists responsible for this outrage.
Backstory: A Look at Insurgency in Borno State
Borno State has endured Islamist insurgency for over fifteen years. Boko Haram launched its violent campaign in 2009. The group wants to establish a strict Islamic state across Northern Nigeria. Thousands of civilians have died since the conflict began. Millions more fled their homes.
The terrorists have consistently targeted schools. They view Western education as sinful. In April 2014, Boko Haram fighters kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok. That mass abduction triggered global outrage. It sparked the Bring Back Our Girls movement. Michelle Obama and Malala Yousafzai joined the campaign.
The horror repeated itself in February 2018. Boko Haram seized 110 schoolgirls from Dapchi in Yobe State. Most returned weeks later. One girl, Leah Sharibu, remains in captivity. She refused to renounce her Christian faith.
ISWAP splintered from Boko Haram in 2016. The two factions now compete for territory and resources. They sometimes cooperate during attacks. Both groups continue to strike soft targets. Schools remain especially vulnerable. Students offer easy leverage for ransom and propaganda.
The Nigerian military has repeatedly claimed victory over the insurgents. Yet attacks persist across the Northeast. Rural communities bear the brunt. Farmers cannot access their fields. Traders fear the highways. Children cannot learn in peace.
Monday’s raid in Lassa follows this grim pattern. It exposes the fragility of security in Borno. It reminds Nigerians that the nightmare is far from over. Parents in Lassa now face the same anguish that devastated Chibok and Dapchi families years ago. The search teams comb the forests. Families wait. Hope hangs by a thread.
