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Students killed, 46 rescued, as Nigerian troops foil attempted abduction in Borno school
The Operation HADIN KAI military troops in collaboration with officers of the Nigerian Mobile Police (Mopol) have foiled an attempted mass abduction by suspected terrorists of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), resulting in the death of undisclosed number of students and the rescue of 46 others.
This was revealed in a statement on Sunday by the operation’s North East (Maiduguri) spokesman, Mohammed Goni.
According to Goni, the attempted July 19 abduction occurred at the Federal Government Girls College, Monguno, Borno State, currently being used by the state government as temporary hostel accommodation for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno.
He stated that “the terrorists reportedly gained access to the facility with the assistance of suspected collaborators in an attempt to abduct students,” but were immediately engaged by security forces with coordinated firepower.
“Confronted by the superior combat capability and determined resistance of the security forces, the terrorists were forced to abandon their criminal mission and flee in confusion without achieving their objective,” Goni said.
He disclosed that 46 students were rescued and evacuated to Kinnasara Barracks in Monguno for immediate medical attention, while an undisclosed number were “fatally struck by the sporadic gunfire from the terrorists during the firefight.”
“All rescued students have been confirmed medically stable and no student was abducted,” Goni said.
While the military is yet to disclose the details surrounding the fatalities, Operation HADIN KAI has expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
“Operation HADIN KAI extends its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and reassures the public that all necessary measures are being taken to safeguard the lives of residents and protect critical public institutions across the North East.
“Exploitation of the incident is ongoing to identify and apprehend the suspected collaborators, while troops and other security agencies are actively tracking the fleeing terrorists,” Goni said.
“Operation HADIN KAI remains steadfast in its commitment to sustaining relentless pressure on terrorist elements, denying them freedom of action, dismantling their operational capability, and ensuring that educational institutions and other critical infrastructure across the North East remain safe and secure,” he added.
