Students sitting the ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations and several teachers were reportedly abducted after suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked Lassa town in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday. At least one teacher was also reportedly killed during the assault.
Sahara Reporters reports that the attackers invaded the community on a busy market day, arriving on motorcycles and dressed in military camouflage before sweeping through the town.
The insurgents reportedly struck while candidates were writing their NECO examinations, taking an unspecified number of students and teachers to an unknown destination.
Sources said one teacher was shot dead during the attack, although the exact casualty figure remained unclear as residents continued searching for missing persons.
The incident also sparked concern among residents, who alleged that troops of the Nigerian military stationed in the area had left on patrol to nearby Uba, about 16 kilometres from Lassa, when the insurgents struck.
“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,” an eyewitness said.
Efforts to obtain a reaction from the spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.

