At least 37 students remain missing following an attack on a secondary school in the northeastern Nigerian town of Lassa, Borno State. The assault occurred on Monday when gunmen affiliated with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed the school while students were sitting exams.

According to local officials and the AFP news agency, the number of missing students includes 25 female students, 11 male students, and one staff member, as confirmed by Borno Commissioner for Education Lawan Abba Wakilbe, who spoke to reporters in Lassa. The military reported that at least three people were killed during the attack, including a soldier and a teacher. Authorities initially stated they had rescued 10 students and that only one remained missing.

The northeastern region of Nigeria, particularly Borno State, has experienced years of violence from armed groups. While the 2014 kidnapping of hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok by Boko Haram remains the most notorious, school abductions continue to be a widespread issue across the country.

Sources