Panic and outrage have swept through Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State after suspected Boko Haram insurgents stormed Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School on Friday morning and abducted an unspecified number of pupils in broad daylight. The attack happened around 9:00 a.m. while classes were ongoing, catching students, teachers and residents off guard in the remote village on the edge of Sambisa Forest.
Gunmen arrived on motorcycles and moved freely through the school premises for several minutes without facing resistance. Parents and villagers estimate between 35 and 43 pupils were taken, though officials say the exact number remains unconfirmed. Some students escaped into the bush during the chaos, but many were whisked away before help arrived.
A teacher at the school told Reuters, “The attackers came on motorcycles and despite some students escaping to the bushes, many were taken away.” A resident identified as Ubaidallah Hasaan said, “Gunmen stormed Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area at around 9 a.m. while classes were in session and took several students.”
The incident has sparked anger over the conduct of security operatives who were reportedly stationed in the community before the attack. Eyewitnesses told SaharaReporters that military personnel and vehicles were present in Mussa earlier that morning but withdrew into nearby mountains as the terrorists approached.
One resident said, “All the military cars they normally use were there and there was heavy presence of army, but the moment the terrorists started coming, the army moved to the mountain and they left that place unprotected.” The source added, “There was no resistance at all and the terrorists came in, took the students and left freely without a single gunshot being fired.” Vanguard reported that insurgents stormed the school barely 10 or 15 minutes after troops left.
Rt Hon. Abdullahi Askira, Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, confirmed the invasion and called the timing disheartening. He said, “It is also disheartening that the incident took place barely some few minutes after troops on patrol left the community and that this signifies that the insurgents were spying on the movement of troops before they struck.”
Lawmaker Midala Usman Balami called the attack heartbreaking and urged authorities to act swiftly to secure the release of the abducted children. Community leader Samaila Kaigama of the Borno South Youth Alliance said, “The gunmen came this morning and picked some primary school pupils from a day school, not a boarding school, and they attacked without any resistance.”
The attack bears the hallmarks of the Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad faction of Boko Haram. Mussa lies near Sambisa Forest, a long-standing stronghold of insurgents who have waged violence in northeast Nigeria for over a decade.
Efforts to get a response from security agencies failed, with calls to ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso and Col. Onyechi Appolonia Anele going unanswered. As of Friday evening, neither the police nor the military had issued a statement. The abduction has drawn comparisons to the 2014 Chibok kidnapping, renewing fears about school safety in Borno.
Solomon Mussa, a community member, posted on Facebook, “Good morning beloved, please pray for the Mussa Boko Haram attack in Mussa village now.” Families are gathering at the school and hospitals while awaiting news. Authorities say investigations will follow, but residents say they need action more than assurances.
