At least 37 still in captivity after Northeast Nigeria school attack, official says

At least 36 students and one staff member abducted by gunmen from a secondary school in Lassa in northeast Nigeria remain in captivity, while eight others have been rescued, a state official said on Tuesday.

The attack on Monday targeted students in Government Day Secondary School who were sitting exams in the town in Borno state, a region that has faced years of violence by jihadist groups.

Borno Commissioner for Education Lawan Abba Wakilbe told reporters in Lassa that those still being held include 25 female students, 11 male students and one staff member. Eight people, including the school’s vice principal, have been freed, he said.

-Reporting by Adewale Kolawole in Maiduguri; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama/Reuters