Only 56 of the 113 primary schools are functioning in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, where about 80 students abducted during attacks on their schools in May and June remain in captivity, the local education authority has told PREMIUM TIMES.
Before the May attack in Mussa, 76 schools were operating, according to Fasuma Askira, the local government’s education secretary.
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Mrs Askira said insecurity forced education authorities to close schools in vulnerable communities around Mussa, Lassa, and other parts of the local government area. She said schools on the outskirts of communities and in other areas considered vulnerable were also affected.
Two attacks in 45 days
The two school attacks in Askira-Uba occurred within 45 days. On 15 May, suspected insurgents attacked Mussa and abducted dozens of children. PREMIUM TIMES later obtained a register identifying 40 missing children, although subsequent accounts from the community and government have produced varying figures.
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On 29 June, insurgents attacked Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, while students were taking the National Examinations Council examination. Some abductees were recovered shortly after the attack, but PREMIUM TIMES subsequently verified that 36 students and one teacher remained in captivity.
The attacks heightened concerns about schooling in communities already affected by insecurity.
Pupils relocated, vigilantes proposed
Mrs Askira said the local education authority advised the relevant ministry to temporarily close schools in areas affected by insecurity following the Mussa attack. She said junior secondary pupils from Mussa were moved to a government boarding school in Uba.
Education officials also advised the local government chairman to deploy community vigilantes around schools when classes resumed, she said.
Mrs Askira said soldiers were also deployed in Mussa and Lassa alongside local vigilantes. She said the situation had made it difficult to sustain schools near settlements considered vulnerable to attacks.
The figures from the education authority show the scale of the disruption. Of Askira-Uba’s 113 primary schools, 37 were already not functioning before the Mussa crisis. Of the 76 that were operating then, another 20 have been closed.
About 80 students remain in captivity
The school closures continue as scores of children abducted from the two communities remain in captivity.
More than 100 days have passed since the 15 May Mussa attack. The exact number of children still missing from that community remains unsettled: PREMIUM TIMES’ initial named register contained 40 children, while the Borno State Government has more recently referred to “about 44” pupils.
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In Lassa, 36 students and one teacher remained in captivity following the 29 June attack, according to PREMIUM TIMES’ verification.
Using the Borno Government’s latest estimate for Mussa and the verified Lassa figure, about 80 students from the two communities are still believed to be in captivity, in addition to the Lassa teacher.
As of 31 August, the Mussa children had been away for 108 days, while the Lassa students had spent 63 days in captivity.
Simon Waindu, whose daughter is among the abducted Lassa students, told PREMIUM TIMES on 31 August that none of the children had returned home and that the families had received no information about a rescue.
For Askira-Uba, the two attacks have therefore left two continuing problems: school children remain missing, while 20 primary schools have been shut since the Mussa school attack.
Editor’s Note: The headline of this story has been changed to correct a typographical error.
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