Students abducted during school attack in Lassa, Nigeria

On Monday morning, armed individuals attacked a secondary school in Lassa, located in the Borno state of northeastern Nigeria. The assailants stormed the premises while students, aged 16-17, were taking exams for the National Examination Council. According to Nigerian authorities, three people were killed during the attack, including one soldier. There is a discrepancy regarding the number of missing students: some official reports cite 37 missing, while police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso stated the exact number of abductees remains unknown. The Nigerian military and police are currently conducting search operations in the surrounding forests. The region is a long-standing center of conflict involving extremist groups like the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) and Boko Haram. Authorities note that the area also faces security threats from criminal gangs that carry out kidnappings for ransom. This incident occurs within the broader context of a 15-year-old security crisis affecting various regions of Nigeria.