The Borno State Government says it has received a proof-of-life video showing that the 36 students abducted from Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area are still alive, as efforts continue to secure their release.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, disclosed this on Saturday during the Borno State Education Summit in Maiduguri, where he played the 15-second video while highlighting the security challenges facing schools in the state.
The disclosure came during the summit themed “Strengthen Safe, Inclusive and Gender-Responsive Education: Building Back Better,” organised by the Borno State Government in partnership with the Malala Fund.
“Since the Chibok abduction, we have not had such an issue until recently when we had the incident in Mussa, and subsequently in Lassa. From the Lassa abduction, we have 36 in captivity. Out of the 36, there are 25 girls and 11 boys,” Wakilbe said.
He, however, disclosed that the government had yet to receive any information on the whereabouts of students abducted earlier from Mussa Community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area.
According to him, continued attacks on schools pose a serious threat to education in Borno and could reverse the gains recorded in rebuilding the sector after years of insurgency.
“If this does not stop, progress will not happen, and a lot of what we have achieved will be reversed,” the commissioner said.
Wakilbe appealed to residents, development partners and other stakeholders to continue supporting the government’s efforts to improve school security and protect access to education across the state.
Officials declined requests by journalists to obtain a copy of the video, saying it could not be released to the public.
The 15-second footage, shown during the presentation, reportedly depicted the abducted students seated on the ground, with some wearing the uniform of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, while two armed men stood behind them holding a flag bearing Arabic inscriptions.
West Trybe reports that this is the first official confirmation of a proof-of-life video since suspected Boko Haram insurgents abducted the students during an attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, on June 29.
The latest development comes after the abduction of 42 pupils and students from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in the same Askira/Uba Local Government Area on May 16, leaving at least 78 students still in captivity from the two separate attacks.
