UPDATED: Terrorists kidnap students from Borno school

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Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have abducted dozens of students from Government Day Junior Secondary School in Mussa, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

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A grassroots politician who pleaded anonymity because he was authorised to speak on the matter said about 42 students were kidnapped during an early morning attack on Friday.

He said the attackers stormed the community between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on about 18 motorcycles, with roughly three armed men on each bike.

The terrorists were said to have opened fire upon arrival, causing panic in the area before forcing their way into the school premises and abducting the pupils, including boys and girls.

“The situation so far now is almost 42 missing children,” he said. “Verification is still ongoing.”

No deaths or injuries were reported during the attack.

The local politician also criticised the response of soldiers stationed near the school, alleging that security personnel abandoned the area during the attack.

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“There is a high failure from the military,” he said. “The school is just opposite where the military camp is. When these people came and started shooting, they ran away leaving the children and the teachers.”

Earlier reports by Yerwa Express, a local publication in Borno State, said suspected terrorists invaded Mussa village during school hours on Friday. A teacher confirmed the attack, while another source said the number of abducted pupils was unclear at the time.

The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, also confirmed the attack to Daily Trust, but declined to state whether pupils had been abducted.

In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES, the spokesperson for Borno police command, Nahum Daso, said security agencies were still verifying details surrounding the attack.

“I was able to speak with the DPO in charge of the Askira Uba Police Division. The information he gave me is that about 09 hours this morning, there was a series of gunshots which led to the fleeing away of pupils and children who are in the school, creating fear and panic,” Mr Daso said.

“As of now, the details are sketchy. There is no full confirmation yet that the students were abducted. Most of them went away inside the bush to run away for their life. We are currently working on the headcount,” he added.

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Efforts to obtain comments from military authorities were unsuccessful by press time. Messages sent to spokespersons for Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in the North-east and the Nigerian Army were yet to receive responses.

The local politician told this newspaper that the chairperson of Askira-Uba Local Government Area, had been briefed, while efforts are ongoing to compile a comprehensive list of the missing pupils.

The latest incident has renewed concerns over the vulnerability of schools and rural communities in parts of Borno State amid the prolonged insurgency in Nigeria’s North-east.

There have been a series of school abductions in the region, including the 2014 Chibok girls abduction among others.