By Chinedu Echianu
Parents of students at Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State say at least 37 students remain missing following Monday’s terrorist attack on the school.
The attack occurred while students were reportedly sitting for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination. Security authorities had earlier confirmed that two teachers were killed during the attack, while troops rescued 10 abducted victims during a military operation.
The Acting Military Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai, Capt. Muhammed Goni, also said a soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) lost their lives while attempting to rescue the victims.
However, some parents told journalists that several students were still unaccounted for despite the rescue operation.
One of the parents, Mbula Bura, whose daughter, Esther, is among those yet to be located, said the Borno State Government had opened a register for families to report missing students.
According to him, 37 names had been entered in the register as of Tuesday.
“My daughter, Esther, who is in SS2, is still missing,” he said.
Another parent, Emmanuel Dari, said his 16-year-old daughter, Lucy, was among the students taken during the attack and had not been found.
“When I heard some victims had been rescued, I was hopeful. But my daughter was not among them,” he said.
A resident of the community, Bitrus Milnda, also said two of his relatives, Martha Wajau and Abori Ujulu, both SS1 students were still missing after the attack.
According to the parents, the Borno State Commissioner for Education, Lawan Wakilbe, visited Lassa to assess the situation and meet with affected families.
Efforts to obtain an updated official figure on the number of missing students from the Borno State Government were unsuccessful, as the Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, did not respond to calls or messages.
The attack has renewed concerns over the safety of schools in Nigeria’s North-East, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted educational institutions despite ongoing military operations.
