Nigeria school attack leaves at least 37 students missing in Borno State
At least 37 students are missing after gunmen attacked a secondary school in the northeastern Nigerian town of Lassa, according to local officials. The raid took place on Monday while students were sitting exams, in an area of Borno State that has endured years of violence from armed groups. At least three people were killed in the attack, including a soldier and a teacher.
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Officials said the assailants were linked to Islamic State West Africa Province, which has operated in Nigeria's northeast for years. The military initially said authorities had rescued 10 students and that only one remained missing, but later figures given by the Borno commissioner for education indicated a much larger number still unaccounted for. Lawmakers and local officials also shared a list of students said to be in captivity, including their names, genders and parents' phone numbers.
Borno Commissioner for Education Lawan Abba Wakilbe said 25 female students, 11 male students and one staff member were still being held. He also said eight people, including the school's vice principal, had been freed. The attack has renewed concern over the vulnerability of schools in conflict-hit parts of northern Nigeria, where kidnappings for ransom have become a recurring tactic used by armed groups and criminal gangs.
The incident carries wider significance because school abductions remain one of the most damaging features of Nigeria's long-running insecurity crisis. The country has faced an armed uprising since 2009, concentrated in the northeast, and violence has continued despite a decline from the peak of the conflict a decade ago. Analysts have warned of an uptick in attacks since last year, adding pressure on security forces and local authorities already struggling to protect remote communities.
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The attack also recalls earlier mass kidnappings that have shaped public fear around schooling in the region, including the 2014 abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok. More recently, more than 40 pupils were kidnapped in Borno State's Mussa village in May and remain in captivity, underscoring how persistent the threat has become. The latest raid shows that schools can still be targeted even during exams, when students and staff are gathered in one place.
What remains unclear is the fate of the missing students and whether the attackers are still holding them in the area. It is also not yet clear how many people were involved in the raid or whether any further rescues will be announced. The next developments to watch are any official confirmation of the missing count, details of the search operation and whether the military or state authorities identify the attackers more precisely.
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