At least 42 students and children have reportedly been abducted after suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists attacked a school in Mussa, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, confirmed the incident on Saturday, saying the attackers invaded Primary and Junior Government Day Secondary School, GDSS, Mussa, while pupils and students were in early morning lessons.
According to Ndume, information from school authorities indicated that 28 pupils were taken from the primary section, four students from the junior secondary school — two boys and two girls — and 10 other children from nearby homes, bringing the total number of abducted children to 42.
The lawmaker described the attack as “barbaric, traumatic and heartbreaking,” warning that the children could be conscripted by the terrorists if security forces fail to rescue them quickly. He urged troops of Operation Hadin Kai and other security agencies to intensify search-and-rescue operations.
The Borno police command earlier said several students were unaccounted for after the attack, but cautioned that it was not immediately clear whether all missing children had been abducted or whether some had fled during the chaos. Police spokesperson Nahum Daso said authorities were still working to confirm the full details.
The attack has renewed fears over school safety in Nigeria’s northeast, where Boko Haram and ISWAP have waged a 17-year insurgency that has killed thousands and displaced millions. Borno remains the epicentre of the conflict and was the scene of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction, one of the most notorious mass kidnappings in the country’s history.
Amnesty International has urged the Federal Government to urgently rescue the abducted children, warning that repeated attacks on schools are forcing many families to withdraw children from education out of fear.
The reported abduction came amid heightened military activity in the Lake Chad region, where Nigerian and U.S. forces recently announced the killing of senior Islamic State commander Abu-Bilal al-Minuki. Security analysts say the timing underscores the continuing threat posed by jihadist groups despite intensified counter-terrorism operations.
