More than 30 students remain missing after Nigeria school attack
Al Jazeera
β’Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:55:38 +0000
π° What Happened
At least 37 students remain missing after gunmen from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed a secondary school in the town of Lassa, Borno State, northeast Nigeria. The attack occurred on Monday, June 29, while students were sitting exams. At least three people were killed in the assault, including a soldier and a teacher. Borno Commissioner for Education Lawan Abba Wakilbe confirmed that 25 female students, 11 male students, and one staff member were still being held captive. A list of the kidnapped students, including their genders and parents' mobile phone numbers, was shared with journalists by local government councillor Ijagla Ijabila. The military initially reported that 10 students had been rescued and only one remained missing, but the actual number of hostages proved to be far higher. The attack underscores the persistent threat posed by armed groups targeting educational institutions in Nigeria's northeast region.
π The Backstory
Nigeria's Borno State has been the epicenter of a 16-year insurgency by Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province). The 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok drew global condemnation and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement. Despite military campaigns against the insurgents, school abductions have continued, with armed groups increasingly using kidnapping for ransom as a funding mechanism. ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016 and has become one of the most dangerous extremist groups in the Sahel region. The Nigerian government has faced criticism for failing to secure schools, particularly in rural areas of the northeast.
π― Why It Matters
School abductions in Nigeria have become a recurring national crisis, with thousands of students kidnapped since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls abduction. These attacks terrorize communities, disrupt education for an entire generation, and highlight the failure of security forces to protect schools despite repeated government promises. Each abduction deepens the trauma in a region already devastated by years of insurgency.
At least 37 students remain missing after gunmen from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) stormed a secondary school in the town of Lassa, Borno State, northeast Nigeria. The attack occurred on Monday, June 29, while students were sitting exams. At least three people were killed in the assault, including a soldier and a teacher. Borno Commissioner for Education Lawan Abba Wakilbe confirmed that 25 female students, 11 male students, and one staff member were still being held captive. A list of the kidnapped students, including their genders and parents' mobile phone numbers, was shared with journalists by local government councillor Ijagla Ijabila. The military initially reported that 10 students had been rescued and only one remained missing, but the actual number of hostages proved to be far higher. The attack underscores the persistent threat posed by armed groups targeting educational institutions in Nigeria's northeast region.
Nigeria's Borno State has been the epicenter of a 16-year insurgency by Boko Haram and its offshoot ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province). The 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok drew global condemnation and sparked the #BringBackOurGirls movement. Despite military campaigns against the insurgents, school abductions have continued, with armed groups increasingly using kidnapping for ransom as a funding mechanism. ISWAP split from Boko Haram in 2016 and has become one of the most dangerous extremist groups in the Sahel region. The Nigerian government has faced criticism for failing to secure schools, particularly in rural areas of the northeast.
School abductions in Nigeria have become a recurring national crisis, with thousands of students kidnapped since the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls abduction. These attacks terrorize communities, disrupt education for an entire generation, and highlight the failure of security forces to protect schools despite repeated government promises. Each abduction deepens the trauma in a region already devastated by years of insurgency.