Suspected militants abduct students in Nigeria's Borno state, residents say
Police said some pupils fled into the bush while others may have been abducted, and a headcount is still underway.
- On Friday, suspected Boko Haram or ISWAP terrorists abducted an unspecified number of students from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Borno State. Attackers arrived on motorcycles around 9 a.m. while classes were in session.
- Mussa village shares a border with the Sambisa Forest, a long-standing enclave for Islamist insurgents. The assault occurred barely 10 or 15 minutes after military troops departed the area.
- "Despite some students escaping to the bushes, I can tell you many were taken away," a teacher said. Borno State House of Assembly Deputy Speaker Abdullahi Askira confirmed the invasion occurred Friday.
- Security forces and local vigilante groups deployed to the area shortly after the incident to track the assailants. Local lawmaker Midala Usman Balami called the attack "heartbreaking" and urged authorities to act swiftly.
- Mass kidnappings have become a major security challenge in Nigeria in recent years, though this is the first such school abduction in Borno since 2014, when Boko Haram kidnapped more than 270 girls in Chibok.
46 Articles
46 Articles
42 abducted after school invasion in Borno village – Ndume
By Ndahi Marama Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South) on Saturday confirmed that no fewer than 42 students, including children, have been abducted when armed members of Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists invaded Primary and Junior Government Day Secondary School (GDSS) Mussa, in Askira -Uba local Government Area of the state last Friday. This is as he appealed to the security agencies, especially the troops of the Joint Task Force North East ‘Operat…
Several dozen students were potentially abducted on Friday, May 15, by jihadists in the district of Askira Uba in the state of Borno, in northeastern Nigeria. This area, located not far from the village of Chibok, where 274 high school girls had been abducted in 2014, has been the subject of an upsurge in attacks in recent months, both against the inhabitants and against army bases. At the same time, other abductions were being committed in anot…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources lean Left
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
