Devastating Attack in Nigeria

On November 10, at about 8:00am, Nigeria had a devastating attack during a school assembly. When the boys fortunate enough to attend the all boys high school went in for a school assembly, a blast killed forty-six students and injured dozens. A suicide bomber, dressed as a male student is believed to be at fault for this tragic event. The suggested militant group that carried out the attack is Boko Haram. The school is located in Yobe state, where Boko Haram militants have also attacked other schools frequently. The militant’s purpose was clearly to kill as many students as possible but as a group they have killed thousands of people physically and mentally. Emmanuel Ojukwu, a police spokesman, told BBC “The attack had left forty-seven people dead, including the suicide bomber.” Another seventy-nine were wounded and are being treated at an unverified hospital. A hospital worker said, “The hospital was so overcrowded that some patients were squashed two to a bed.” Goodluck Jonathan, the president of Nigeria, released a statement of “heartfelt commiserations” for those harmed in Yobe state. He also is promising more security for northeast schools. This is just one of the many devastating attacks on schools in Yobe state.

Last February, at the Federal Government College (a boarding school in Buni Yadi) fifty-nine boys were brutally murdered in ways that shouldn’t be imaginable. Boys were burnt, shot, and stabbed supposedly because Boko Haram wanted boys education changed. More attacks have occurred making many Nigerians angry with the government. The United States is urging Nigeria’s government to “investigate these and other attacks to bring the perpetrators to justice,” said State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki.