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.
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.
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.
Goni also said troops, supported by air surveillance, intercepted the abductors around the Daggu area of Askira/Uba LGA and rescued 10 victims unharmed.
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.
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.
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.
Another parent, Emmanuel Dari, said his 16-year-old daughter, Lucy Emmanuel, was among those abducted, describing the incident as devastating for affected families.
“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.
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.
“The state Commissioner for Education is currently here. They came to see us and assess the situation,” he added.
A resident of Lassa, Bitrus Milnda, also confirmed that two of his relatives were among those abducted.
“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.
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.