Nigeria Orders Schools Closed After Massacre
Nigeria’s Yobe state ordered secondary schools closed on Sunday, one day after a massacre killed 42 people at a boarding school. Suspected Islamist extremists killed the children, then set fire to their school.
The Nigerian state’s governor Ibrahim Gaidam ordered “all secondary schools in the state be closed down from Monday 8th July 2013 until a new academic session begins in September.”
The attack happened early on Saturday in the Mamudo district. Assailants believed to be from Boko Haram rounded up students and staff in one of the boarding schools dormitories. They then threw explosives inside and opened fire.
Boko Haram translates to “Western education is a sin.” The group has been responsible for several bombings and shootings around Nigeria in recent years. They are known to specifically target Christians, often churches, though they do not tolerate Western education either.
Gaidam spoke from the school on Sunday, calling the attackers” callous and devoid of any shred of humanity.” Along with closing schools, the Nigerian governor also asked the government to lift a block on mobile phone signals across Yobe. He explained:
“Lack of [Global System for Mobile Communications] service has prevented patriotic citizens who have hithertoo been collaborating with security agents from reporting suspicious movements in their neighborhoods.”
Nigeria’s military cut phone service in mid-May in an offensive to try and end a four-year insurgency by Boko Haram. While several residetns initially expressed their support for the phone service disruption, should it lead to peace, the government’s statement on Sunday indicated that patience is running thin.
One resident explained that Saturday’s massacre was likely a reprisal for the killing of 22 Boko Haram militants during a raid in Dogon Kuka on Thursday. Violence linked to Boko Haram has killed about 3,600 people since 2009. The current military offensive was launched after President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in three Nigerian states, including Yobe.
While the military has claimed several successes against Boko Haram, violence has continued. It is unclear what effect closing schools in Nigeria will have in the fight against Boko Haram.
