The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has condemned Monday’s terrorist attack on Government Day Secondary School, Lassa Town, in Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, describing it as a barbaric assault that demands an uncompromising national response.
The council, led by its President-General, the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, expressed profound outrage over the attack, which claimed the life of a teacher and resulted in the abduction of scores of students and teachers.
The position of the council was contained in a statement signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Abbas Jimoh, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
The NSCIA said the latest incident was another painful reminder that terrorism remained a grave existential threat to Nigeria and warned that the persistent attacks on schools had become a national disgrace.
According to the council, the kidnapping and murder of schoolchildren amount to crimes against humanity and strike at the very heart of Nigeria’s future.
It lamented that the attack occurred only weeks after the May 15 abduction of 42 pupils of Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in the same Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, as well as the kidnapping of 49 pupils and their teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on the same day. It noted that all the victims remain in captivity.
The council expressed concern that the terrorists exploited Lassa Town’s market day to infiltrate the community before launching the attack, saying the development showed that insurgents continued to adapt their tactics and exploit existing security gaps.
It therefore called for stronger intelligence gathering, improved surveillance, enhanced inter-agency collaboration and effective community-based early warning mechanisms to reduce the vulnerability of citizens to terrorist attacks.
The council also urged governments to adopt technology-driven security measures, citing the Enugu State Government’s AI-powered security architecture, which features a Command and Control Centre, surveillance drones and 150 AI-embedded patrol vehicles capable of identifying threats and tracking criminals across the state.
The NSCIA commended the Armed Forces, particularly troops of Operation HADIN KAI, for their swift deployment of ground and air assets, which led to the rescue of some of the abducted students and teachers.
It, however, insisted that security operations must continue until every abducted student and member of staff is rescued alive and reunited with their families.
The council also paid tribute to the soldier and the member of the Civilian Joint Task Force who lost their lives during the rescue operation, describing their sacrifice as a demonstration of bravery and patriotism in the fight against terrorism.
Reiterating its position that terrorism has no place in Islam, the council declared that Boko Haram and ISWAP were enemies of both Islam and humanity.
It stated that the activities of the groups represented a complete betrayal of the Qur’anic injunctions on the sanctity of human life, justice, mercy and the pursuit of knowledge.
The council stressed that those who murder innocent people, abduct children, terrorise communities and destroy schools could not in any way claim to represent Islam or any recognised religious tradition.
The NSCIA commiserated with the Government and people of Borno State, the management of Government Day Secondary School, Lassa, parents of the abducted students and all those affected by the attack.
It reaffirmed that Nigeria must never surrender to terrorism, insisting that those behind the attacks must be relentlessly pursued, brought to justice and made to face the full weight of the law to guarantee lasting peace and security across the country.
