Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) has claimed that 42 pupils were abducted by Boko Haram insurgents at Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, Askira-uba local government area, Borno State.
Ndume, who sympathised with the families of the victims, said he got the update from the school authority and community leaders on Saturday.
Recall that the school was invaded by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP members in the early hours of Friday, with reports saying an unspecified number of children were abducted.
One of the residents, who pleaded anonymity, said 20 school children were declared abducted during the early morning invasion.
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He revealed that residents were afraid that the insurgents might have taken the children to conscript them, which they described as a disaster to the entire community.
“As at the last count, 20 children are said to be abducted from the school. Our fear is that the terrorists would conscript them if the security operatives did not rescue them,” he said.
Earlier, the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the attack, but declined comment on whether children were abducted.
“Details of the attack are sketchy, but the information at my disposal was that many of the students fled into the bush, but I don’t have details of those abducted yet” he said.
But in a statement, Ndume put the figure of the abducted students at 42.
“Information at my disposal from the schools’ authorities indicated that 28 pupils were abducted from the primary section, 4 students from the GDSS (2 male and 2 female), while 10 children were abducted from their various residential houses, making a total of 42 persons,” he said.
He explained that the school abduction was more terrifying, as the poor students were kidnapped at the peak of their early morning class lessons.
The senator noted that the unfortunate incident has traumatised parents, guardians and thrown many of them into a state of hopelessness.
He, therefore, appealed to the Nigerian troops of Joint Task Force North-East Operation HADIN KAI, and other security agencies, to intensify search and rescue the victims.
He also revealed that the school children abduction was premeditated by some attacks that led to the killing of more than six people and several homes destroyed.
Ndume also condoled with the families of those who lost their lives in Chibok communities and other attacks in the Southern Borno Senatorial District.
Ndume’s constituency has remained under constant attacks and destruction in recent times, especially with the attacks on some Chibok communities of Bambatsu and Ngadarma, on Thursday, where several people were killed.
