Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have rescued 10 National Examinations Council, NECO, candidates and teachers kidnapped by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, terrorists in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

The victims were abducted on Monday, June 29, when insurgents attacked the Technical Secondary School, Lassa, while students were writing examinations.

The Acting Military Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, said the victims were freed after a coordinated air and ground rescue operation was launched shortly after the attack.

He stated that troops, supported by strike aircraft and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, ISR, platforms, tracked the fleeing terrorists to the Daggu area and engaged them in a fierce gun battle.

The operation led to the rescue of the 10 victims unharmed. Seven motorcycles used by the insurgents were recovered and casualties were inflicted on the attackers, adding that efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining abductees and apprehend those responsible.

Paul Namaske, Vice Principal of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, who was among those rescued, stated that the captives escaped after a military aircraft disrupted the terrorists’ movement.

“When a military aircraft started hovering over us, the insurgents started dispersing. We heard gunshots from the soldiers, so they began to run while we started escaping. In the process, the soldiers rescued us,” he declared.

Namaske added that about two teachers and more than 20 students were initially abducted, though he could not confirm the exact number.

Captain Goni confirmed that one Operation HADIN KAI soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force, CJTF, were killed during the exchange of fire.

He however stated that security has been reinforced around the affected community and other vulnerable locations, including schools, while operations continue to rescue any remaining victims. The military emphasised that the attack underscores the terrorists’ increasing reliance on soft targets despite sustained counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.