The Borno State government has confirmed receiving a proof-of-life video showing dozens of students abducted by terrorists from Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area, nearly three weeks after the attack.
The government disclosed this on Saturday during the Borno State Education Summit held in Maiduguri, where the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, played the 15-second video during a presentation on the security challenges confronting the state’s education sector.
The summit, themed “Strengthening Safe, Inclusive and Gender-Responsive Education: Building Back Better,” was organised in partnership with the Malala Fund.
According to Wakilbe, the state government is continuing efforts to secure the release of the abducted students, who were kidnapped on June 29 during attacks on communities in the Lassa axis.
“Since the Chibok abduction, we have not had such an issue. Not until recently did we have the issue in Mussa and subsequently in Lassa,” the commissioner said as quoted by PUNCH.
“From the Lassa abduction, we have 36 in captivity. Out of the 36, there are 25 girls and 11 boys.”
He, however, disclosed that authorities were yet to obtain information on the students abducted earlier from Mussa Community.
According to him, attacks on schools remain one of the greatest threats to education in Borno State.
“If this does not stop, progress will not happen, and a lot of what we have achieved will be reversed,” Wakilbe warned.
He appealed to residents, humanitarian organisations and development partners to continue supporting the government’s efforts to secure schools and sustain access to education.
Although journalists were shown the video during the presentation, officials declined requests to release the footage to the media.
However, those who viewed it said it showed the abducted students seated on the ground, with some dressed in the uniform of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, while two armed terrorists stood behind them holding a flag bearing Arabic inscriptions.
The disclosure comes amid growing concerns over renewed attacks on schools in northern Nigeria, years after the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, by Boko Haram insurgents. While many of the Chibok girls have regained their freedom over the years, some remain missing.
The latest development also follows the recent abduction of candidates and examination officials during the National Examinations Council (NECO) Senior School Certificate Examination at Government Secondary School, Olowa, in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The incident, which occurred while students were sitting for their examinations, sparked nationwide concern over the safety of schools and examination centres. Although the abductees have since regained their freedom, the attack reignited calls for stronger security around educational institutions.
According to the Borno State Government, no fewer than 78 students are currently being held captive following separate abductions in the state.
Education stakeholders have repeatedly warned that continued attacks on schools threaten years of progress in improving access to education in conflict-affected communities, particularly for girls, and risk forcing more parents to withdraw their children from school over safety concerns.
(SaharaReporters)