Seven students abducted during an attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Borno State, have been rescued by local hunters following a pursuit into nearby forests.
The students were among those taken by suspected fighters of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during Monday's attack on the school in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, where candidates were sitting for the National Examinations Council (NECO) examination.
According to local vigilante sources, hunters tracked the fleeing attackers into the surrounding forest and engaged them, leading to the rescue of seven captives.
"They managed to free seven students from their captors and handed them over to the military," a vigilante source said.
The councillor representing Lassa/Jagila/Jabula Ward confirmed the rescue, revealing that all seven freed captives were female students.
"We are praying for the hunters to defeat the assailants and secure the release of our loved ones," the councillor said.
Borno State Police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso also confirmed the abduction, saying the attackers stormed the examination hall and forced students and teachers into the bush.
"The terrorists went into the hall where the students were writing the NECO examination and whisked away students and teachers to an unknown destination," Daso said.
He added that security personnel responded to the attack, limiting the number of people abducted.
Describing how the incident unfolded, Daso said the attackers exploited the busy market day in Lassa.
"It's Lassa market day, so they took advantage, infiltrated the market on motorcycles and went to Government Day Secondary School, Lassa. They shot and killed one teacher and took away all the students who were in their classrooms," he said.
According to the police, the attackers are suspected members of ISWAP, while security forces have launched search operations in the surrounding forests to rescue the remaining captives.
The attack comes 47 days after 42 pupils of Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School were abducted in the same Askira-Uba Local Government Area. Families of those children have said they have not been contacted by the abductors, raising concerns about the victims' fate.
