Troops of Operation HADIN KAI, working alongside personnel of the Nigeria Police Mobile Force (MOPOL), have foiled an attempted mass abduction by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists at the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Monguno, Borno State.
A statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Military Information Officer of Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, the attempted attack occurred at about 1:30 a.m. on July 19 at the school, which is currently being used by the Borno State Government as temporary hostel accommodation for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno.
Captain Goni disclosed that the attackers gained access to the facility with the assistance of suspected collaborators and attempted to abduct the students.
Security personnel on duty were said to have engaged the attackers immediately, while the Sector 3 Quick Reaction Force reinforced the school.
“The terrorists were forced to abandon their criminal mission and flee in confusion without achieving their objective,” the statement said.
The statement also disclosed that parts of the school’s infrastructure were damaged during the exchange of gunfire but maintained that the attack was successfully contained.
According to the statement, all 46 students in the facility were rescued and evacuated to Kinnasara Barracks in Monguno, where they underwent medical assessment and received appropriate care.
Goni added that all the rescued students were medically stable and that no student was abducted during the incident.
However, he confirmed that some students were “fatally struck by the sporadic gunfire from the terrorists during the firefight.”
Operation HADIN KAI expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and said efforts were underway to identify and arrest suspected collaborators believed to have aided the attackers.
It also said troops, alongside other security agencies, were pursuing the fleeing terrorists as investigations into the incident continued.
He reiterated the military’s commitment to intensifying operations against terrorist groups in the North-East and protecting schools and other critical public infrastructure across the region.
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