No fewer than 37 students are still missing following Monday’s terrorist attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, according to parents of the victims.
The attack occurred while students were sitting for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination. Terrorists reportedly killed two teachers and abducted an unspecified number of students, throwing the community into panic.
Speaking on Tuesday, some parents said the Borno State Government had opened a register for families to report missing children.
One of the parents, Mr. Mbula Bura, whose 19-year-old daughter, Esther, remains missing, said 37 names had been recorded on the register.
“Parents who could not find their children were asked to register their names. So far, 37 children have been listed as missing. My daughter, Esther Mbula, who is in SS2, is among them,” he said.
Another parent, Mr. Emmanuel Dari, said his 16-year-old daughter, Lucy, was among those abducted during the attack.
“My daughter was in the classroom when the terrorists invaded the school. We were hopeful after hearing that some victims had been rescued, but when I got there, my daughter was not among them. Since yesterday, our family has not known peace,” he said.
He added that the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Lawan Wakilbe, visited the community to assess the situation and sympathise with affected families.
A resident of Lassa, Bitrus Milnda, also confirmed that two of his relatives,Martha Wajau and Abori Ujulu, both SS1 students—were still missing.
Efforts to get a response from the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls nor responded to enquiries.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army had earlier confirmed the rescue of 10 abducted students and teachers during a coordinated operation carried out by troops of Operation Hadin Kai, with support from the Air Component.
The Acting Military Information Officer of the North-East Joint Task Force, Capt. Muhammed Goni, said the rescue operation followed a fierce gun battle with the attackers around the Daggu area.
He noted that although 10 victims were rescued unharmed, one soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force lost their lives during the operation. Troops also recovered seven motorcycles while efforts continue to locate and rescue the remaining abducted victims.
