It was another bloody weekend in Yobe State yesterday after gunmen, suspected to be members of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, attacked a secondary school. Twenty students and teachers were killed.
The gunmen raided Government Secondary School, a boarding school at Mamudo, on the outskirts of Potiskum, the commercial hub of Yobe State which has been a flashpoint in the Boko Haram insurgency.
Spokesman for the Joint Task Force in the state, Lt. Lazarus Eli, confirmed the casualties figure.
He said four others were injured in the dawn attack.
However, sources at the Potiskum General Hospital said 42 dead bodies were deposited in the hospital
The federal authorities approved an immediate deployment of more troops to the area while the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Sambo Dasuki ordered a probe of the massacre.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mallam Aminu Tambuwal condemned the attack and told the security agencies to live up to their responsibilities.
The gunmen struck at about 5.30am yesterday.
Some of the pupils were burned alive in the attack, the worst of the three by the sect, since the declaration of a state of emergency in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa by President Goodluck Jonathan on May 14 to end the reign of terror unleashed by the fundamentalists mainly on the North.
The teacher, Mohammed Musa, an English language instructor, was shot in the chest according to another teacher, Ibrahim Abdu.
Parents screamed in anguish as they tried to identify the charred and gunshot victims.
A farmer Malam Abdullahi, found the bodies of two of his sons, a 10-year-old shot in the back as he apparently tried to run away, and a 12-year-old shot in the chest.
“That’s it, I’m taking my other boys out of school,” he told The Associated Press as he wept over the two corpses. He said he had three younger children in a nearby school.
“It’s not safe,” he said. “The gunmen are attacking schools and there is no protection for students despite all the soldiers.”
“We were sleeping when we heard gunshots. When I woke up, someone was pointing a gun at me,” said 15-year-old Musa Hassan.
He put his arm up in defense, and suffered a gunshot that blew off all four fingers on his right hand, the one he uses to write with.
He said the gunmen came armed with jerry cans of fuel that they used to torch the school’s administrative block and one of the hostels.
“They burned the children alive,” he said, the horror showing in his wide eyes.
He and teachers at the morgue said dozens of children from the 1,200-student school escaped into the bush but have not been seen since.
Some bodies are so charred they could not be identified, so many parents do not know if their children survived or died.
“From accounts of teachers and other students who escaped the attack, the gunmen gathered their victims in a hostel and threw explosives and opened fire, leading to the death of 42,” one source said.
He said security personnel were combing the bushes around the school in search of students who were believed to have escaped with gunshot wounds.
“So far, six students have been found and are now in the hospital being treated for gunshot wounds,” he added.
Another resident who does not want to be named said: “It was a gory sight. People who went to the hospital and saw the bodies shed tears. There were 42 bodies, most of them were students. Some of them had parts of their bodies blown off and badly burnt while others had gunshot wounds.”
He said the attack was believed to be a reprisal by the Boko Haram Islamists for the killing of 22 sect members during a military raid in the town of Dogon Kuka on Thursday.
Lt. Eli said more security men had been deployed to the area for cordon and search operation.
The fundamentalists had, on Sunday, June 16 attacked Government Secondary School in Damaturu, killing five students.
Twenty four hours after, they also attacked a Private Primary/Secondary School in Jajeri Ward of Maiduguri, killing seven students who were writing their National Examination Council (NECO) exam.
The Yobe State commissioner for Lower Education, Alhaji Almin Mohammed, said at that time that the state government had deployed security men across school in the state to protect students and teachers.
He also promised that the schools would be fenced round.
This is yet to be done.
The militants are increasingly targeting civilians, including health workers on vaccination campaigns, teachers and government workers.
Farmers have been driven from their land by the extremists and by military roadblocks, raising the spectre of a food shortage to add to the woes of a people already hampered by the military’s shutdown of cell phone service and ban on using satellite telephones.
In a separate attack in Karim Lamido, Taraba State, suspected Islamist gunmen fired on a police station and a bank killing three policemen.
A police official said the attackers blew up the bank’s vault with dynamite and made off with the cash.
The hit-and-run strikes suggest that the seven-week-old military offensive has pushed the insurgents into hiding, but failed to stop them launching devastating attacks.
Taraba, which has been only rarely attacked by the sect, is not covered by the military offensive, so the heist there may be a sign the assault has pushed the militants into other areas.
Security agencies gave approval for the immediate deployment of more in and around Potiskum as a first step in dealing with the situation while the NSA ordered a probe into the massacre.
A top source speaking on the development yesterday said: “We suspected reprisal by insurgents of Boko Haram but investigation is still in progress. We learnt they raided the school after the students had gone to bed, set it on fire and as students were scampering to safety, they opened fire on them.
“The military authorities have deployed more troops in and around all villages surrounding Mamudo and Potiskum in order to track down the fleeing gunmen.
“The troops have specific order to cordon off the area, comb all villages around and arrest the gunmen who perpetrated the attack.
“As I am talking to you, the overnight raid is still continuing in all the villages and suspected cells of the insurgents.
“We are acting on intelligence report that the gunmen might have established bases in some villages in and around Mamudo.”
Another source said: “The Special Force has done well to restore order to Yobe State but what we have witnessed now suggests a change of tactics by the insurgents. The innocent are now being attacked.
“Now that schools have become targets of attacks, we will respond appropriately to the latest challenge.”
It was gathered that a preliminary report on the incident has been prepared.
“In spite of a preliminary report, a comprehensive investigation is ongoing and within the next 24 hours, the NSA would have received the details,” a source told NE
Another source at the Defence Headquarters, said: “I do not have the details on Yobe incident now but as soon as I get it, I will brief you.”
A report by the Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) recently revealed that 99 persons were killed across the state this year while 135 others were either injured or had their houses burnt during different attacks.
Tambuwal last night described the killings at as ignoble, wicked and horrendous.
In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mallam Imam Imam, the Speaker said: “No reason can be given to justify such dreadful act.”
He tasked security agencies to fish out perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them justice, saying the gains recorded by security agencies in their battle against terror in the country in recent weeks should “be built upon in order to protect the citizens at all times.”
While expressing sympathy with the families of the victims, Tambuwal urged Nigerians to be more vigilant and to help security agencies with useful information to help secure their areas.
“He said the National Assembly will, at all times, give necessary support to ensure that peace and security is restored in all parts of the country.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Who said these. Pple are Islamists? I don't see them like that cos they've killed more Muslims in their insurgencies. YAh Allah! Come to our aid in this part of the country.
ReplyDeleteTunde. Kano!
You are nothing but COWARDS boko haram! Why go after defenseless children when you've got the well armed military to face? It simply shows you have lost the battle and looking for cheap popularity. Shame on you!!!
ReplyDeleteWho said they have killed more muslims than Christians? How many mosque did they burnt. Go to Jos and see how they destroyed Churches. What is the purpose of Boko Haram? Is it not to turn Nigeria to Islamic nation? Answer me.
ReplyDeleteShekau and his boko haram group have proved to be less than animals fit only for the zoo
ReplyDeleteNa Waaaaa. What kind of cheap popularity are they seeking? Trying to get into the news? Cowards.
ReplyDeleteZombi is what I thing they are.
ReplyDeletePresident jonathan and his administration is a failure
ReplyDeleted evil dat men do lives wt them n after them!
ReplyDeleted evil dat men do lives wt dem n after dem!
ReplyDelete"Somehow this madness of killing an innocent soul must
ReplyDeletecease. We must stop now. I speak
as a child of God and brother to the
suffering poor of Nigeria . I speak
for those whose land is being laid
waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being
subverted. I speak for the poor of
Nigeria who are paying the double
price of smashed hopes at home,
and death and corruption in
Nigeria . I speak as a citizen of the Nigeria , for the Nigeria as it stands
aghast at the path we have taken. I
speak as one who loves Nigeria ,
to the leaders of our own nation:
The great initiative in this war is
ours; the initiative to stop it must be ours."
This is barbaric.... i cant believe this is happening in Nigeria. Its high time we part ways
ReplyDeleteUhmmm... What a tragedy! However the media did nothing to identify the tribe, religion, culture or even say the origin of these victims. I suspect, if a christian where involved, a lot of information will be given to justify the fact that they are islamists.
ReplyDeleteTerrorism is to be condemned by all. Only then will an everlasting solution be sought. If Oristejafor will come out and say christians are the main victims of the insurgents, then I wonder if the people who are not christians are human beings?
May the souls of the deceased rest in peace
Who says they are not Muslims? Is it not the same thing they are doing in other Islamic nations? Sultan of Sokoto, who is a symbol of islam in Nigeria, has he ever come out to condemn these pples' act of wickedness?
ReplyDeleteThe so called muslims in Nigeria should think twice about this religion that aids violence. Imagine pples' children been killed like animals all in the name of forcing pple to accept your religion. Why would I join or accept a religion that would make me a murderer? That would make me inflict pains on innocent pple all in the name of pleasing your god.Yet some idiots in the north were clamouring for amnesty for these blood thirsty beasts, when they shd be wiped out without hesitation. Nigerians be wise!