37 Students Still Missing After Borno School Attack — Parents

‎No fewer than 37 students remain missing following Monday’s terrorist attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, according to parents of the affected students.

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‎The attackers stormed the school around 9 a.m. while candidates were writing the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination. During the attack, two teachers were killed, while an unspecified number of students were abducted.

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‎The Acting Military Information Officer of the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Muhammed Goni, had earlier disclosed that two security personnel, a soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force—lost their lives during the rescue operation.

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‎Goni also said troops, supported by air surveillance, intercepted the abductors around the Daggu area of Askira/Uba LGA and rescued 10 victims unharmed.

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‎However, parents of the abducted students said the Borno State Government had opened a register for families to report missing persons, with 37 students yet to be accounted for.

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‎One of the parents, Mbula Bura, whose 19-year-old daughter, Esther Mbula, is among those missing, said the register currently contains the names of 37 unaccounted-for students.

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‎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,” he said.

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‎Another parent, Emmanuel Dari, said his 16-year-old daughter, Lucy Emmanuel, was among those abducted, describing the incident as devastating for affected families.

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‎“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.

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‎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.

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‎Dari added that a delegation from the Borno State Government, led by the Commissioner for Education, Lawan Wakilbe, visited the community to assess the situation and meet with affected families.

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‎“The state Commissioner for Education is currently here. They came to see us and assess the situation,” he added.

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‎A resident of Lassa, Bitrus Milnda, also confirmed that two of his relatives were among those abducted.

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‎“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.

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‎Efforts to obtain comments from the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, were unsuccessful, as he neither answered calls nor responded to enquiries.

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