Nigeria’s highest Islamic body, the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), has condemned a deadly terrorist attack on a secondary school in Borno State, calling on the government to do more to protect schools and communities from armed groups.

The NSCIA issued the statement on Thursday following an attack on Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, a town in Askira Uba Local Council. A teacher was killed during the assault, while several students and teachers were abducted.

The council, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, described the attack as barbaric and unacceptable. It said the repeated targeting of schools amounted to a crime against humanity and was a national disgrace that threatened Nigeria’s future.

The Lassa attack came weeks after gunmen abducted 42 pupils from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School, also in Askira Uba, on May 15. Around the same time, 49 pupils and their teachers were kidnapped in Oriire Local Council of Oyo State. The council said many of those victims remain in captivity.

The NSCIA said the attackers in Lassa appeared to have used the town’s busy market day to slip into the community undetected. The council said this highlighted a need for better intelligence gathering, closer collaboration between security agencies and community-based early warning systems to prevent future attacks.

It also urged authorities to embrace modern security technology.

The council pointed to Enugu State’s artificial intelligence-driven security system as a model that could help Nigeria combat terrorism more effectively.

Troops from Operation HADIN KAI managed to rescue some of the abducted students and teachers. The council praised the soldiers for their efforts but said operations must continue until every person still held in captivity was brought home safely.

NSCIA also paid tribute to a soldier and a member of the Civilian Joint Task Force who were killed during the rescue mission. It described their deaths as a sacrifice that should inspire continued resistance to terrorism.

The NSCIA was unequivocal in its condemnation of the attackers, noting that Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) were enemies of both Islam and humanity. Their actions, the council said, violated core Islamic teachings on the sanctity of life, justice, mercy and the importance of education. “Terrorism has no place in Islam,” the council said.

The NSCIA expressed sympathy with the Borno State government, the school’s management, and the families of everyone affected by the attack. It called on security agencies to arrest and prosecute those responsible.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State government has denied reports claiming it paid ransom to secure the release of pupils and teachers abducted by bandits in Oriire Local Council, describing the allegation as false and misleading.

In a statement by the Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, the government described the claim as “far from the truth” and a deliberate attempt by “irresponsible bloggers” to create confusion and misinform the public.

Oyelade explained that although both Oyo State and Federal Government have been making concerted efforts to secure the safe release of the abducted children and their teachers, no ransom has been paid to the bandits, either directly or indirectly.

He urged members of the public to disregard the reports and rely only on information released through official government channels.

The commissioner maintained that the Oyo State government is working closely with security agencies to ensure safe release of the abductees and bring the sad event to a close.