Video Raises Alarm on School Safety as 78 Borno Students Still Missing

The Borno State Government said on Saturday it received a proof-of-life video showing many students kidnapped during the 29 June attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa. They warned that fresh attacks on schools could undo the progress made in education in the state affected by insurgency.

This news came up at the Borno State Education Summit in Maiduguri. The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, played a 15-second video during his talk about the security issues facing the education sector.

Mr Wakilbe reported that 36 students are still in captivity from the Lassa abduction. This includes 25 girls and 11 boys, while rescue efforts are still ongoing.

“Since the Chibok abduction, we have not had such an issue. Not until recently did we have the issue in Mussa and subsequently in Lassa,” the commissioner said.

He warned that if attacks on schools continue, it could erase years of investment to improve access to education in Borno.

“If this does not stop, progress will not happen, and a lot of what we have achieved will be reversed,” he said.

Officials did not allow journalists to release the video after it was shown during the summit.

Journalists who saw the footage said it showed the kidnapped students sitting on the ground, some in their school uniforms. Two armed men stood behind them, holding a flag with Arabic writings.

This latest news has raised fears about the safety of schools in Borno. Communities have faced repeated attacks on schools since the Boko Haram insurgency began over ten years ago.

The attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, happened weeks after students were taken from another school in Mussa. This highlights what education officials call a rise in attacks on schools, despite years spent on protecting educational institutions.

Mr Wakilbe called on residents, humanitarian groups, and development partners to keep supporting efforts to protect schools. He wants to ensure children can keep learning, despite the security issues.

The commissioner mentioned that 78 students are still in captivity from different school kidnappings in Borno. He added that authorities are still waiting on new information about those taken from Mussa.

This news comes more than ten years after the 2014 abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls, which brought global attention to the attacks on schools in northeastern Nigeria. It also led to more investment in protecting schools.

Education stakeholders have often warned that ongoing attacks on schools could stop parents from sending their children, especially girls, to school. This could threaten years of progress made in improving access to education in areas affected by conflict.