Borno school attack: 37 children still missing — Parents

No fewer than 37 children are reportedly still missing following an attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday.

PUNCH Online on Monday reports that terrorists attacked the school at about 9 a.m. while candidates were writing the National Examinations Council examination, killing two teachers and abducting an unspecified number of students.

In interviews with our correspondent on Tuesday, parents said the state government had opened a register for families to report missing persons.

A parent, Mbula Bura, whose 19-year-old daughter was abducted, said 37 names had been registered as missing.

He said, “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.”

Another parent, Emmanuel Dari, whose daughter was abducted, said families had been thrown into panic since the attack.

He said, “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.

According to him, the state government had sent a delegation led by the Commissioner for Education, Lawan Wakilbe, who was in the town to assess the situation.

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

Meanwhile, a resident of the town, Bitrus Milnda, told PUNCH Online 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.

When contacted for comments, the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, neither answered nor returned calls.

PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the Nigerian Army confirmed the rescue of 10 victims, including teachers and students, abducted during the attack.

The Acting Military Information Officer, North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Muhammed Goni, said in a statement on Monday that two security operatives, including a soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, were killed during the rescue operation.

Goni said the 10 victims were rescued unhurt by ground troops with support from air platforms providing guidance after troops made contact with the abductors around the Daggu area of the local government.

The statement read, “Troops of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) have successfully rescued 10 National Examinations Council (NECO) candidates and teachers abducted during an ISWAP attack on Lassa Community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

“Immediately upon receipt of the report of the incident, the Theatre Command scrambled both strike and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft from the Air Component of OPHK to support troops mobilised to the area for a coordinated search-and-rescue operation.

“The troops, with support from the air platforms overhead providing guidance, made contact around Daggu and, after the firefight, the operation has so far resulted in the successful rescue of 10 victims, who were unhurt and are currently receiving the necessary care and support, while efforts remain ongoing to rescue the remaining victims and bring the perpetrators to justice.”

He added that during the encounter, troops outmanoeuvred the fleeing terrorists, inflicted casualties on them and recovered seven motorcycles.

“Regrettably, during the intense firefight, one gallant soldier of OPHK and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force paid the supreme sacrifice in the exchange of fire with the terrorists,” he said.