25 female students missing as Borno shuts schools after Lassa attack

BY: ABDULKADIR M LAWAN, JULY 01, 2026/ 12:15AM

Twenty-five female students are among 36 students still missing after Boko Haram terrorists attacked Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area on Monday.

The insurgents stormed the school while students were writing National Examination Council, NECO, examinations, abducting 36 students and three teaching staff.

Of the 36 students unaccounted for, 25 are girls, leaving many parents in Askira/Uba communities in anguish.

Women and children are always the victims of such attacks. They remain the most vulnerable, bearing the heaviest burden when schools and communities are targeted.

In response to the attack, authorities have temporarily closed all schools in Dille, Lassa and Chul communities as a precautionary security measure.

NECO candidates will be relocated to Government Secondary School, Uba, to continue their examinations without disruption.

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, on Tuesday dispatched a delegation to Lassa led by the Commissioner for Education, Engr. Lawan Abba Wakilbe.

The team met with parents, many of whom voiced deep concern for their daughters and sons.

Addressing the families, Engr. Wakilbe conveyed the governor’s sympathy and assured them of ongoing efforts to secure the safe return of all missing students.

'On behalf of His Excellency, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, I would like to extend our sympathy over this unfortunate incident. Let me assure you that efforts are ongoing by security agencies, government authorities, community leaders, and other stakeholders to trace and safely reunite the missing students and staff with their families,' he assured.