Suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Friday invaded a Primary and Junior Secondary School in Mussa village, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting an unspecified number of students during the attack.
Residents said the assailants stormed the community in large numbers on motorcycles shortly after troops stationed in the area reportedly left following a routine patrol.
The latest attack has thrown the community into panic, with fears growing over the safety of pupils and residents in the area.
A resident of the village, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that several schoolchildren were taken away by the insurgents during the invasion.
“Yes, the attack happened early hours of today (Friday) and it was discovered that many children were abducted,” Daily Trust quoted the resident as saying.
However, the exact number of students allegedly kidnapped could not be independently verified as of the time of filing this report.
The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the attack on the school but said details surrounding the incident were still sketchy.
The lawmaker, however, declined to confirm whether students were abducted by the insurgents.
“Details of the attack are sketchy, but the information at my disposal has it that many of the students fled into the bush, but I don’t have details of those abducted,” Askira told journalists.
He described the development as disturbing and disheartening, noting that the insurgents attacked the community barely minutes after troops on patrol departed the area.
“This signifies that the attackers were spying on the movement of troops before they struck,” he added.
Newsmen reports that following the attack, several residents and concerned Nigerians took to social media, particularly Facebook, to call for prayers and urgent intervention over the incident.
One of the users, identified as Solomon Mussa, appealed to the public to pray for the affected community and the missing schoolchildren.
“Good morning, beloved. Please pray for the Mussa Boko Haram attack in Mussa village now. According to a report coming out from Mussa, school children were affected,” he wrote.
However, the state command of the Nigeria Police Force has yet to confirm the development as of the time of filing this report.
NaijaNews / Tunmise Adesanmi
