Army Rescues 10 Abducted NECO Pupils After Borno School Raid
Soldiers of Operation HADIN KAI have rescued 10 of the 11 National Examinations Council candidates and teachers abducted by suspected ISWAP fighters who stormed a school in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, while pupils sat for their examinations.
The Acting Military Information Officer, Captain Mohammed Goni, said in a statement on Monday that the attack happened at about 9 a.m. on June 29, 2026, as students of the Technical Secondary School wrote their NECO papers. He said the Theatre Command moved quickly, deploying ground troops, strike aircraft and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance platforms from the Air Component of the operation.
The troops tracked the fleeing gunmen to the Daggu area, where a fierce gun battle broke out. “The troops, guided by aerial surveillance, successfully rescued 10 abducted victims unharmed. The rescued candidates and teachers are currently receiving appropriate care and support,” the statement said. The military added that efforts continue to free the remaining victim and arrest those behind the raid.
During the operation, troops recovered seven motorcycles used in the attack and inflicted casualties on the insurgents. The rescue, however, came at a cost. One soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force were killed. The military said “their courage, selflessness and unwavering commitment exemplify the collective resolve of security forces and local volunteers who continue to risk their lives daily to protect innocent citizens.”
Accounts of the figures varied on the day. The Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, initially said seven had been rescued and that the total number of missing students was yet to be confirmed. The Vice Principal of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, Paul Namaske, said in a widely circulated video that two teachers and more than 20 students were taken before the army intervened.
The Lassa raid fits a grim pattern that has haunted Nigerian classrooms for more than a decade. UNICEF said in April 2024 that more than 180 schoolchildren had been killed and 1,680 others abducted across the country over the previous 10 years. Data compiled by the International Centre for Investigative Reporting shows Nigeria recorded 26 major school attacks between April 2014 and May 2026, with at least 2,416 students abducted.
The crisis traces back to April 14, 2014, when 276 schoolgirls were seized from Chibok in Borno State, sparking the global #BringBackOurGirls campaign. According to UNICEF, 96 of those girls remained in captivity a decade later. The threat later spread well beyond the North East. In November 2025, more than 300 students and staff were abducted from a Catholic school in Niger State, while another attack targeted a girls’ school in Kebbi State.
The fallout for education has been severe. More than 20 million children are out of school in Nigeria, among the highest figures in the world, and 66 percent of out-of-school children come from the North East and North West. A UNICEF report found that only 37 percent of schools across 10 states had early warning systems to detect threats such as armed attacks.
Operation HADIN KAI said it had reinforced security around vulnerable communities and schools, describing the Lassa attack as a sign of desperation by terrorist groups now resorting to soft civilian targets. It urged the public to stay vigilant, share credible intelligence and ignore unverified reports while operations continue.