Borno: Joint Security Operatives Rescue Seven NECO Students After Lassa Attack

A combined team of security personnel, comprising the Nigerian Army, Police, and local Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) members, has successfully freed seven individuals who were among an unspecified number of students abducted from Lassa Day Secondary School in Borno State. The students were sitting for their National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations when terrorists attacked the school in Askira/Uba Local Government Area on Monday.

PUNCH Online had previously reported the Monday incident, where assailants on motorcycles launched a sporadic shooting spree before seizing students and women traders present on the school premises.

Confirming this development exclusively to PUNCH Online, Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, stated that efforts are actively underway to locate and rescue the remaining abductees. Mr. Tar remarked, “For now, seven of them have been rescued. We cannot confirm their gender yet. Assessment is still ongoing.” He also noted that the precise total number of missing students had not yet been determined.

The Commissioner added, “We have sent a delegation to the community to assess the situation and build confidence in the minds of the residents.”

Earlier reports from PUNCH Online quoted Nahum Daso, the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, who confirmed that security forces engaged the attackers, which helped to prevent a more extensive abduction scenario. “Around 9 a.m., ISWAP attacked Lassa Day Secondary School. They shot sporadically. An unspecified number of students have been abducted,” Daso elaborated.

This latest assault on Lassa Day Secondary School underscores a recurring pattern of attacks targeting educational institutions across Nigeria's North-East region. Further details are expected as investigations continue.