Gunmen raid exam centre in Lassa, seize students and teachers as security absence sparks outrage

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents launched a brazen attack on Lassa town in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on Monday, abducting students sitting for the ongoing NECO examinations, along with several teachers, and killing at least one educator.

The assault, which unfolded on the community’s market day, sent residents fleeing in panic as heavily armed fighters—reportedly clad in military camouflage and riding motorcycles—swept into the town.

Eyewitnesses said the attackers deliberately targeted the examination centre, where candidates were writing their papers. An unspecified number of students and teachers were taken away during the raid, with their whereabouts still unknown.

At least one teacher was confirmed killed in the нападение, though the full scale of casualties and abductions remains unclear as search and rescue efforts continue.

Residents expressed anger over what they described as a security lapse, claiming that troops stationed in the area were absent at the time of the attack, reportedly away on patrol in nearby Uba, about 16 kilometres from Lassa.

“There were no soldiers when the terrorists came. They arrived in large numbers, shooting and creating chaos. They took students and their teachers from the exam hall,” a local resident recounted.

Attempts to reach the Borno State Police Command for official comment were unsuccessful, as calls to spokesperson ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso went unanswered.

The incident underscores the persistent insecurity in southern Borno, where insurgent groups continue to stage deadly attacks despite ongoing military operations in the region.