Borno youths chase away govt delegation over abducted students

By Samuel Solomon

There was tension in Lassa community, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, on Tuesday as angry youths forced a state government delegation to leave after rejecting its sympathy visit over the abduction of students by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

The delegation, led by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, had visited the community to sympathise with families of students abducted during Monday’s attack on Government Day Secondary School.

The atmosphere turned rowdy when the commissioner attempted to address residents at the school premises, with youths and relatives of the abducted students chanting, “We don’t want talk. Go and bring back our children.”

Efforts by the commissioner to calm the crowd were unsuccessful as the gathering became increasingly agitated, forcing him and members of the delegation to leave the community.

The press reported on Monday that suspected Boko Haram terrorists attacked the school at about 9 am while candidates were writing the National Examinations Council examination, killing two teachers and abducting an unspecified number of students.

The Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, had confirmed the attack to pressmen saying security agencies were working to rescue the abducted students.

Although the exact number of those abducted has yet to be officially confirmed.