Rescued teacher recounts how troops saved 10 victims after Borno school attack

A teacher rescued following a terrorist attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Askira/Uba LGA of Borno state, says the swift intervention of Nigerian troops and their superior firepower forced suspected ISWAP terrorists to abandon their captives and flee.

According to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, the teacher was among 10 people rescued after suspected terrorists abducted them on Monday while students were sitting the National Examinations Council (NECO) senior school certificate examination (SSCE).

“There were many soldiers, and they really helped us to escape because they came with gun trucks,” Makama quoted the teacher as saying.

“Their firepower was what made us escape. They came with heavy firepower, and the terrorists began to run away. They could not even return the fire because the firepower from the soldiers and the team was very, very strong.”

Citing security sources, the publication said troops launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation immediately after receiving reports of the attack.

It said ground forces, supported by strike aircraft and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms from the air component of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), were deployed to track the fleeing terrorists.

According to Makama, acting on real-time aerial intelligence, the troops intercepted the insurgents around the Daggu axis, where a fierce gun battle ensued.

The publication said the troops’ overwhelming firepower forced the terrorists to abandon some of the abducted victims as they fled, leading to the rescue of 10 abducted students and teachers, all of whom were recovered unharmed.

Makama noted that troops recovered seven motorcycles belonging to the terrorists, significantly reducing the insurgents’ mobility during the pursuit.

Makama reported that one soldier and a member of the civilian joint task force (CJTF) were killed during the exchange of fire.

Military authorities told the publication that troops have continued to dominate the area and monitor likely escape routes while maintaining pressure on the fleeing terrorists to rescue the remaining abducted victims and bring those responsible to justice.

The publication added that security has since been reinforced across Lassa and neighbouring communities, with troops maintaining heightened vigilance to protect schools and other vulnerable locations from further terrorist attacks.(TheCable)