Amnesty International has condemned the deadly attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, in Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, where gunmen reportedly disrupted ongoing National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations, killing two teachers and a student and abducting an unspecified number of students.

In a statement, Amnesty International described the attack as a grave assault on children’s right to education, stressing that schools must remain safe spaces.

“Schools should and must be places of safety, and no child should have to choose between their education and their life,” the organization said.

Amnesty International warned that the abducted students face serious risks and noted that widespread fear of attacks has forced many schools across northern Nigeria to remain empty for years.

According to the rights group, it has documented at least 13 incidents of school abductions since 2023, describing the trend as unacceptable and blaming what it called the failure of governments at all levels to adequately protect schools.

The protection of children’s lives is paramount, and the Nigerian government has a duty to ensure that the country’s educational sector is not further threatened by armed groups on rampage across northern Nigeria,” the statement said.

The organization said the attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, constitutes a gross violation of international humanitarian law and undermines the right to education for affected children and thousands of others across northern Nigeria.

Amnesty International further warned that repeated abductions and attacks on schools continue to reduce access to education as insecurity worsens in the region.
What we are witnessing right now in the northern part of Nigeria is an assault on childhood and an utter failure to guarantee the safety and security of school children and teachers,” the organization stated, adding that many towns and villages have also endured years of frequent attacks by armed groups.