The number of students unaccounted for after Monday’s attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Borno State, has risen to at least 36, according to a community-generated register and interviews conducted by PREMIUM TIMES. The figure surpasses the initial count of 35 reported by the Lassa Ward councillor, with parents confirming their children have not returned home.
The register, which lists names, classes, genders, and contact details of the missing students, was verified through calls to parents and relatives. The Borno State government later corroborated the tally after a stakeholders’ meeting in Lassa on Tuesday.
Parents expressed anguish over the lack of communication from security agencies or the abductors. “No, my child is yet to be released because out of the seven that were released yesterday, she wasn’t among them,” said Mr. Simon, father of Partsi Simon, an SS2 student. He added that his daughter was not among those taking the National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.
Another parent, whose son Raju Wadzani remains missing, said: “They haven’t been rescued. They are still in their hands. Nobody has called us.” Anna, mother of 15-year-old Laraba Anthony, simply replied “No” when asked if her daughter had returned.
A relative of Samuel Timothy Abba noted that local search efforts on Tuesday ended without success: “They went out, but they returned this evening without finding anyone.”
On Tuesday, a state government delegation led by Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Lawan Abba Wakilbe, visited Lassa to assess the situation. Governor Babagana Zulum’s spokesperson, Dauda Iliya, confirmed that 36 students—25 females and 11 males from SS1, SS2, and SS3—remain missing. The local government chairman formally presented the compiled list to the delegation.
In response, the government ordered the temporary closure of schools in Lassa, Dille, and Chul as a precaution. Students sitting ongoing external exams will continue at Government Secondary School, Uba.
The register shows 18 of the missing are in SS1, 17 in SS2, and one in SS3.
The attack occurred Monday when suspected ISWAP fighters stormed the school, killing a teacher and abducting students and staff. Troops from Operation HADIN KAI, supported by strike aircraft and surveillance platforms, engaged the attackers near Daggu, rescuing 10 victims unharmed. The army confirmed one soldier and one Civilian Joint Task Force member were killed in the operation.
Security agencies say search-and-rescue efforts continue. However, parents interviewed by PREMIUM TIMES reported no official updates on their children’s whereabouts. The attack comes just six weeks after another mass abduction in the nearby Mussa community. When asked if additional security measures were introduced after that incident, the Lassa Ward councillor replied: “No.”
For families in Lassa, the silence from authorities and the abductors deepens the trauma. The uncertainty surrounding the fate of 36 students remains the most painful aftermath of the attack.
