Suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Monday invaded Lassa community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting an unspecified number of students writing the ongoing National Examinations Council examinations and several teachers, while killing at least one teacher.
The attack, which occurred on a busy market day, threw the community into panic as the gunmen, reportedly dressed in military camouflage and riding motorcycles, stormed the town, firing sporadically before whisking away the victims.
Residents told journalists that the insurgents struck while candidates were sitting for their NECO examination, taking the students and teachers to an unknown destination.
A teacher was reportedly shot dead during the raid, while the exact number of those abducted and other casualties could not be immediately confirmed as residents continued to search for missing persons.
An eyewitness alleged that soldiers stationed in the area were away on a patrol to nearby Uba, about 16 kilometres from Lassa, when the terrorists attacked.
“The soldiers were not around when the terrorists invaded. They came in large numbers, firing sporadically and causing panic everywhere. They took away students writing NECO and their teachers,” the source said.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Borno State Police Command were inconclusive as the command said it was still gathering information on the incident.
The spokesperson for the command, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, said, “I am in a meeting. We are gathering evidence. I will call you back.”
The latest attack highlights the persistent insecurity in parts of southern Borno despite repeated military operations against Boko Haram and other insurgent groups operating in the North-East.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the military nor the Borno State Government had issued a statement confirming the number of victims or the fate of the abducted students and teachers.
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