Troops Rescue Abducted Borno NECO Candidates

​MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA — Ground troops, heavily reinforced by air assets, have successfully rescued 10 National Examinations Council (NECO) candidates and teachers who were abducted by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists in Borno State on Monday.

​The assault occurred at Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, located within the Askira/Uba Local Government Area, where the students were actively sitting for their ongoing examinations.

​According to military authorities and eyewitness accounts, the heavily armed insurgents stormed the school premises and forced the victims into the surrounding forests. However, the swift activation of a joint search-and-rescue operation rapidly turned the tide against the abductors.

​Air Superiority Breaks Terrorist Hold

​Paul Namaske, the school’s Vice Principal who was among those taken, recounted the harrowing ordeal from safety. He credited the decisive intervention of the Nigerian Air Force for creating the window of opportunity required for their escape.

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​”The terrorists took us into the bush,” Namaske stated. “When a military aircraft started hovering over us, the insurgents started dispersing. While this was happening, we heard gunshots from the soldiers, so they began to run while we started escaping. In the process, the soldiers rescued us.”

​Namaske estimated that over 20 students and two teachers were initially marched into the wilderness before the military intervention forced the terrorists to scatter.

​Fatalities Recorded in Fierce Firefight

​Confirming the successful extraction, the Acting Military Information Officer for the North-East Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, Captain Muhammed Goni, stated that the rescue was executed near the Daggu area.

​While the 10 recovered victims were retrieved entirely unhurt and are currently receiving medical and psychosocial support, the operation exacted a painful cost. Captain Goni confirmed that one soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) lost their lives during the intense exchange of gunfire.

​”The troops, with support from the air platforms overhead providing guidance, made contact around Daggu,” Goni said. “During the encounter, troops outmanoeuvred the fleeing terrorists, inflicted casualties on them, and recovered seven motorcycles.”

​Ongoing Search Operations

​While 10 individuals are confirmed safe, tracking teams remain deployed in the axis. The Theatre Command has maintained both strike and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft overhead to assist ground forces as they hunt down the remaining terrorists and ensure the safe recovery of any remaining students left in the bush.