MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — What was supposed to be a crucial day of academic testing shattered into panic and violence on Monday morning, June 29, 2026 when heavily armed gunmen stormed a secondary school in Nigeria's conflict-battered Borno State, killing two people and abducting an unknown number of students.

The assault targeted Government Day Secondary School—also referred to locally as Lassa Day Secondary School—located in the town of Lassa within the Askira-Uba local government area. The attack struck around 9:00 a.m. local time, just as students were sitting for their National Examinations Council (NECO) exams.

Witnesses reported that the attackers, some dressed in fake military fatigues and forest guard uniforms, stormed the campus firing weapons sporadically. The gunfire sent students, typically aged between 15 and 18, and faculty fleeing in terror.

Borno State police spokesperson ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso confirmed the attack, stating that chaotic scenes left several students unaccounted for as the armed gang rounded up victims and fled into the surrounding bush.

Following the raid, Nigerian troops tracked the attackers into the wilderness, engaging them in a fierce firefight. While security forces successfully rescued 10 individuals—consisting of both students and teachers—the confrontation came at a heavy cost. The military confirmed that one soldier and one member of a paramilitary support force were killed during the rescue operation. Separate initial reports from human rights organizations also indicated casualties on the school grounds during the onset of the raid.

The military, backed by local police and joint security agencies, has deployed tracking teams and intensified searches in nearby forests to locate the remaining missing students. Military spokesperson Captain Mohammed Goni assured the public that the 10 rescued victims were unharmed and is currently receiving medical and psychological care.

Human rights organizations quickly condemned the assault, emphasizing that schools must remain safe havens for youth. Amnesty International Nigeria issued a sharp statement following the incident: Schools should be places of safety, and no child should have to choose between their education and their life. The protection of children's lives is paramount."

No group has claimed immediate responsibility for the raid. However, Borno State remains the historic epicenter of a brutal 15-year Islamist insurgency spearheaded by Boko Haram and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The protracted conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions across the greater Lake Chad region.

Mass kidnappings targeting educational institutions have long been a terrifying tactic employed by both jihadist insurgents and heavily armed criminal gangs, known locally as "bandits," who exploit student abductions to extort massive ransoms from families and authorities. As the search continues, anxious parents gather near the school premises, awaiting news of their children's fate.