A secondary school in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State has released the names of 36 students still missing after suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked the school while candidates were sitting for a national examination, school officials said on Wednesday.
The attack occurred on Monday at Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area, where students were writing the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination.
According to school records, the missing students comprise 25 girls and 11 boys. The school released their identities as security agencies continued efforts to locate and rescue those still unaccounted for.
The incident has renewed concerns over the safety of schools in Nigeria’s northeast, where armed Islamist groups have repeatedly targeted educational institutions during a more than decade-long insurgency.
Earlier report by The News Chronicle, indicated that 43 people, including 41 students and two teachers, were abducted during the attack. Authorities have since confirmed that seven victims, five female students and two teachers, have been rescued.
A teacher who was among those rescued said many of the students remained in captivity despite ongoing rescue operations.
Troops of Operation HADIN KAI, supported by the Nigerian Air Force, launched a pursuit of the attackers shortly after the incident, security sources said.
The troops tracked the suspected insurgents into nearby bushland, where they exchanged gunfire with the assailants. Security sources said several motorcycles believed to have been used by the attackers were recovered during the operation.
Authorities have not officially confirmed the identity of the attackers or provided an updated casualty or rescue figure. Rescue operations are continuing.
