There was tension in Lassa community, in the Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State on Tuesday, as angry youths forced a state government delegation to leave the area after rejecting its sympathy visit over the Monday abduction of students by suspected Boko Haram terrorists. The delegation, led by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, had travelled to the community to console families of students taken during the June 29 attack on Government Day Secondary School. Youths and relatives of the abducted students disrupted Wakilbe’s address, chanting that they wanted their children brought back instead.
Efforts by the commissioner to calm the crowd failed, as the gathering grew increasingly agitated, eventually forcing him and the rest of the delegation to leave the community altogether. Some of the youths were also heard chanting against politicising the tragedy, warning officials not to play politics with their children’s lives.
The attack took place on Monday morning at around 9 a.m., when suspected terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group stormed the school while candidates were sitting the National Examinations Council exam. At least three people, including a teacher, were killed in the attack. Eight people, including the school’s vice principal, have been freed. More than 30 students and one staff member remain in captivity.
The state’s Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, has confirmed the attack and said security agencies are working to rescue the abducted students.
Also Read: Nigeria Warns Against Attacks On Citizens In South Africa
Leave feedback about this
You must be logged in to post a comment.