Gunmen Kidnap Students Taking Exams in Nigeria; 10 Rescued, Others Missing

(CNA Nigeria, Maiduguri, June 29, Combined News Agencies) -- An incident occurred this morning in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, where gunmen stormed a secondary school and abducted students who were taking exams. This incident is the latest mass kidnapping in this insecure region.

According to Reuters, the military stated that they pursued the attackers and engaged in a gunfight, resulting in the deaths of one soldier and one member of a paramilitary support force. However, 10 teachers and students were rescued.

Borno State Police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said that the remaining students are still unaccounted for. He added that authorities are still working to determine the exact number of missing individuals.

Daso stated that the attackers fired sporadically as they entered the Government Day Secondary School in Lassa this morning, while students aged 16 and 17 were participating in a national examination.

Daso added that the military, police, and other security units are searching nearby forest areas in an attempt to rescue the students.

Military spokesperson Mohammed Goni said that the 10 rescued teachers and students are safe and receiving care, and efforts to find the missing individuals are ongoing.

The Islamist fundamentalist group Boko Haram and its affiliate Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been causing unrest in northeastern Nigeria for over 15 years, but the security crisis in the African country has been ongoing for even longer.

Borno State is the epicenter of Islamist insurgent activity; other regions of Nigeria face armed gangs engaging in kidnapping for ransom and recurrent sectarian violence. (Intern trainee translator: Hsieh Min-an / Editor: Tsai Chia-min) 1150630

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