29 Boarding School Students Killed In Attack By Islamic Extremists in Borno State

Islamic militants in the early hours of Saturday morning attacked a boarding school in Borno State, killing 29 students and one teacher (Mohamed Musa – A English Teacher). According to reports some of the pupils were burned alive while other were shot. This is the latest school attack blamed on a radical terror group in a series of attacks on schools that started as far back as last year.

Parents screamed in anguish as they tried to identify the charred and gunshot victims.

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 AssociatedPress 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."

Survivors at the Potiskum General Hospital and its mortuary said gunmen attacked Government Secondary School in Mamudo village, 5 kilometers (3 miles) from Potiskum town at about 3 a.m. Saturday. The gunmen are believed to be from the Boko Haram sect whose name means"Western education is sacrilege."

"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 and a gunshot blew off all four fingers on his right hand. He also mentioned that the attackers came with jerry cans of fuel that was used to set the school administrative block on fire.

"They burned the children alive," he said, the horror showing in his wide eyes.

Source: Washington Post


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