Fresh revelations have deepened the mystery surrounding Monday’s mass abduction of National Examinations Council (NECO) candidates in Lassa, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, as security sources alleged that suspected Boko Haram fighters disguised as soldiers and members of the newly created Forest Guard outfit struck barely minutes after troops stationed near the examination centre departed on patrol.
The incident, which unfolded between 9:00 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., has ignited outrage and suspicion across the community, with residents questioning how terrorists could execute such a brazen operation within sight of a military formation without immediate resistance.
According to a report by SaharaReporters, the insurgents arrived in military camouflage, Forest Guard uniforms and on motorcycles resembling those supplied to local vigilante groups, creating the impression that they were legitimate security personnel on routine operations.
Witnesses said the armed men drove directly to Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, where candidates were preparing for their practical examinations, before surrounding the premises and carting away an unspecified number of students and teachers.
The school is located less than 500 metres from a military camp inside the Federal Science and Technical College, whose students had previously been relocated to neighbouring Adamawa State because of the worsening security situation in the area.
Security sources alleged that the military personnel stationed at the camp departed for Dille village, about seven kilometres away, only moments before the terrorists arrived.
According to the sources, the timing of the patrol has become the subject of intense debate and suspicion within the community, although no evidence has been presented to establish any wrongdoing or prior knowledge by security officials.
Residents insist that the sudden absence of troops created the opening that enabled the insurgents to operate unhindered and escape with their victims.
The attackers reportedly seized an unspecified number of candidates, most of them said to be young women, alongside the school’s vice principal.
Two teachers were shot during the raid. One examination official reportedly lost his life, while another sustained a gunshot wound to the neck and was rushed to hospital in critical condition.
Among those believed to have been abducted are 18-year-old Asta Mallum Bura and Fibi Ibrahim, whose families have been thrown into anguish as authorities struggle to establish the exact number of missing students.
Poor telecommunications, confusion and widespread trauma have complicated efforts to conduct an immediate headcount, leaving many parents desperately searching for information about their children.
Community leaders say the attack bears an alarming resemblance to recent insurgent operations in nearby settlements, fuelling fears that Boko Haram is regaining operational momentum across parts of southern Borno despite repeated military offensives and official declarations of success against the terrorists.
The gunmen were also alleged to have used Hilux vehicles to transport their captives, while the motorcycles they rode reportedly resembled those commonly used by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force and local vigilante groups.
Local residents, however, maintain that community vigilantes were unlikely to have knowingly participated in the assault, arguing that they too may have been drawn away from the town by the same security movement that preceded the attack.
The Borno State Police Command has confirmed the incident, describing it as a terrorist attack, although officials said the number of abducted students and casualties had yet to be determined.
Security authorities further disclosed that a joint operation involving the police and the military had been launched to pursue the terrorists through surrounding forests in a desperate effort to rescue the victims.
For many in Lassa, however, the tragedy has once again exposed a painful reality: in Nigeria’s embattled North-East, even examination halls are no longer beyond the reach of terror, and the line between safety and catastrophe can disappear within minutes.