Filipino hostages guarded by militants of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) in the Niger delta on January 31, 2007. Kidnapping was a common tool used by such militants for political ends, but nationwide kidnapping is more criminal. (George Esiri/Reuters)
Gunmen abduct students during exams in northeast Nigeria
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- Gunmen abducted students and staff from a school in Borno State during exams.
- Security forces rescued 10 captives after a firefight.
- One soldier and one paramilitary member were killed.
- Search operations continue for the remaining missing students.
Heavily armed gunmen attacked a secondary school in Nigeria's northeastern Borno State on Monday morning, abducting an unknown number of students as they were sitting for national exams.
The assault triggered a rapid military response, culminating in a deadly cross-border pursuit and firefight that successfully freed several captives but left two security personnel dead.
Attack during national examinations
The raid unfolded on Monday morning at Government Day Secondary School in the town of Lassa, located in the highly volatile Borno State.
According to Borno police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso, the attackers fired sporadically as they charged onto the campus.
At the time of the breach, classrooms were filled with students -predominantly 16- and 17-year-olds- who were actively sitting for their national examinations.
Following the initial chaos, an unspecified number of students were corralled by the armed group and forced off school grounds.
Fatal firefight and rescue operation
Shortly after the mass abduction, Nigerian military units tracked the perpetrators into the dense surrounding terrain.
Troops successfully engaged the armed gang in a intense firefight, enabling the extraction of 10 students and teachers from captivity.
Military spokesperson Captain Mohammed Goni confirmed that the 10 rescued individuals were unharmed and are currently receiving administrative and psychological care.
However, the rescue operation came at a cost to security forces.
Goni reported that one Nigerian soldier and one member of a paramilitary support force were killed during the active engagement with the kidnappers.
This is the moment students fled in panic after suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked a school in Askira/Uba, Borno State, while they were writing their NECO examination on Monday. pic.twitter.com/vpe9b2xYZi
— RAD. Abu Bakr (@Northorious) June 29, 2026
Ongoing forest search
As of Monday afternoon, local officials were still attempting to compile rosters to determine the exact number of students who remain missing.
Joint teams comprising the military, police, and auxiliary security agencies have officially launched wide-scale clearing operations in nearby forests to hunt down the remaining attackers.
