MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Heavily armed suspected Boko Haram insurgents have attacked a school in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, abducting an unspecified number of students during early morning classes.
The daytime raid occurred on Friday, May 15, 2026, at the Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, throwing the rural border community into chaos as terrified pupils and teachers fled for safety.
The Daytime Raid
According to local community sources, the armed terrorists stormed the school premises riding a convoy of motorcycles. Witnesses reported that the attackers moved into the facility completely unopposed, timing the assault shortly after a military patrol team had departed the immediate vicinity.
The gunmen rounded up several pupils and educators before driving them toward the dense forest fringes. While local hunters and vigilante groups immediately mobilized a pursuit team, the exact number of children successfully taken into the bush remains unconfirmed.
Communication Blackout Delays Verification
Official verification from law enforcement has been severely hindered by a breakdown in regional telecommunications. The Police Public Relations Officer for the Borno State Command, ASP Nahum Daso, confirmed that the command is aware of the reported incident but has been unable to establish direct contact with the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Askira-Uba due to poor network connectivity.
“We are trying to get the full details, but the network issues in that axis have made communication difficult,” Daso stated.
Heightened Regional Panic
The school raid comes amid an escalation of insurgent activity in southern Borno, following the recent mass abduction of over 400 civilians from the Ngoshe community. Local leadership groups, including the Borno South Youth Alliance, have expressed outrage over the attack, warning that the lack of permanent security outposts near rural learning centers leaves children highly vulnerable.
Military operatives attached to Operation Hadin Kai, alongside local joint task force volunteers, have reportedly launched a search-and-rescue operation across the Askira-Uba axis to track down the fleeing terrorists and rescue the captive students.
