A joint operation by the Nigerian soldiers attached to Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), and the Nigeria Police Mobile Force (MOPOL), has rescued 46 students of the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Monguno, Borno State.
As learnt, the intercepted the gunmen before they could whisked the students away from the school in the state.
On Sunday, The Guild gathered that the gunmen attacked and held 46 students in the early hours of yesterday inside their hostel.
A source, Zagazola Makama, disclosed that the terrorists stormed the school at about 1:30 a.m. after allegedly gaining access with the assistance of suspected collaborators.
The school, which is currently being used by the Borno State Government as temporary hostel accommodation for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno, came under attack as the terrorists attempted to abduct the students.
Security personnel on guard immediately engaged the attackers before the Sector 3 Quick Reaction Force (QRF) provided rapid reinforcement for the troops to prevent the abduction in the state.
It was learnt that the coordinated response forced the terrorists to abandon the operation and flee without taking any of the students.
Sources said parts of the school infrastructure were damaged during the exchange of gunfire, but the security forces successfully contained the attack and prevented what could have been a major abduction.
Following the operation, all 46 students were rescued and evacuated to Kinnasara Barracks in Monguno, where they underwent medical assessment and received necessary care.
A medical expert inside the facility disclosed that the students have been confirmed stable by trhe doctor.
However, Makama stated that some students were tragically killed after being struck by stray rounds fired by the fleeing terrorists during the firefight.
Military authorities expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured residents that security had been reinforced around educational institutions and other critical infrastructure across the North-East.
The military said exploitation of the incident was ongoing to identify and apprehend suspected collaborators who facilitated the attack, while troops and other security agencies had launched pursuit operations to track down the fleeing terrorists.