Nigerian security forces repelled a pre-dawn assault by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters on a school compound in Monguno, Borno State, in an operation the military says prevented what could have become one of the largest mass abductions in the region in recent years.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the Acting Media Information Officer of Headquarters Joint Task Force North East, Operation HADIN KAI, Captain Mohammed Goni, the attack unfolded at about 1:30 a.m. on July 19 at the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) in Monguno, a facility currently being used by the Borno State Government as temporary hostel accommodation for students of the Federal Polytechnic, Monguno.
Captain Goni said the terrorists gained access to the facility with the assistance of suspected collaborators and attempted to whisk away the students under the cover of darkness.
Troops of Operation HADIN KAI, working alongside personnel of the Nigeria Police Mobile Force (MOPOL), moved quickly to counter the incursion. Alert security personnel immediately engaged the terrorists with coordinated and overwhelming firepower, effectively stalling their advance, with the Sector 3 Quick Reaction Force (QRF) immediately reinforcing the school.
Facing that resistance, the attackers broke off their operation. As Daily Trust reported, quoting the military statement, confronted by the superior combat capability and determined resistance of the security forces, the terrorists were forced to abandon their criminal mission and flee in confusion without achieving their objective.
All students housed at the facility were accounted for in the operation’s aftermath. Troops successfully rescued and evacuated all 46 students to Kinnasara Barracks, Monguno, where they received immediate medical assessment and appropriate care, and all rescued students were confirmed medically stable, with no student abducted.
The operation was not without loss, however. The military acknowledged that some students were fatally struck by sporadic gunfire from the terrorists during the firefight, though it did not immediately disclose an exact casualty figure. Tribune Online reported that parts of the school’s infrastructure were also damaged during the exchange of fire.
Security agencies say the search for those responsible is ongoing. The military spokesman said security agencies were investigating the incident to identify and apprehend suspected collaborators, while troops were tracking the fleeing terrorists.
Separately, Al Jazirah News noted that exploitation operations were ongoing to identify and arrest individuals suspected of assisting the terrorists in gaining access to the school.
Operation HADIN KAI extended condolences over the deaths. The command reassured the public that all necessary measures are being taken to safeguard the lives of residents and protect critical public institutions across the Northeast in liaison with the Borno State Government.
Captain Goni added that the command remains steadfast in its commitment to sustaining relentless pressure on terrorist elements, denying them freedom of action, dismantling their operational capability, and ensuring that educational institutions and other critical infrastructure across the North East remain safe and secure.
WHAT YOU SHOULDKNOW
Nigerian troops and police stopped ISWAP militants from abducting 46 students at FGGC Monguno in the early hours of July 19, 2026. Every student was rescued and confirmed safe, but the firefight came at a cost, with some students killed by stray gunfire.
The rapid, coordinated security response prevented a mass kidnapping, though it couldn’t prevent all casualties, and the hunt for the collaborators who let the attackers in is still underway.
