Suspected Boko Haram terrorists invaded Government Day Junior Secondary School and nearby primary schools in Mussa village, Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, on May 15, 2026, abducting approximately 42 students, including young children as young as four years old.
The early morning raid has reignited national fears over school safety in Nigeria’s insurgency-plagued northeast, drawing comparisons to past high-profile abductions like Chibok.
Eyewitnesses reported that terrorists invaded the Borno school around 9 a.m. while classes were in session. They opened fire to create panic, then forced their way into the school premises in Mussa, a remote farming community.
The terrorists abducted pupils from Mussa Central Primary School and Government Day Junior Secondary School, in Borno State and a nearby SUBEB school. Many of the victims are young children, with some reports indicating toddlers among those taken.
Residents said the terrorists used the abducted children as human shields while fleeing on motorbikes, complicating immediate security response. No group has officially claimed responsibility, but locals and officials suspect Boko Haram or ISWAP factions active in the region.
Confirming the incident to the press, the spokesperson of the Borno State Police Command, ASP Nahum Daso, said some students remain unaccounted for.
“At about 9 a.m., an unspecified number of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists attacked a secondary school and shot sporadically into the air. During the attack, an unspecified number of students were abducted, while some are still missing,” Daso said.
He added that the command could not immediately confirm reports of fatalities among the victims.
The PRO added that security operatives, including the military, the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and the area commander in Askira/Uba, have launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation and are combing the surrounding forests in an effort to locate the abducted students and apprehend the attackers.
