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.
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