Yobe School Killings: Governor Shuts Down Secondary Schools After Boko Haram Groups Kills 42

Yobe Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has ordered all secondary schools to be closed after 42 people were killed at a school in the Mamudo district this weekend.

The most recent attack occurred on Saturday morning. According to the AFP, alleged Boko Haram Islamists massacred 42 people at a boarding school in the region. The Islamic extremists marched students and staff members into closed rooms and then threw explosives at them. The group also set the building on fire before they left.

After the school killing in Yobe, state governor Ibrahim Gaidam, who called the attacks “callous and devoid of any shred of humanity,” ordered that all secondary schools in the state to be closed. The schools will not reopen until the new academic session in September.

According to the Independent, dozens of schools have been attacked by extremists in the area since 2010.

Gaidam said that the government needed to find away to assure the safety of students before allowing them back to school. One think that Gaidam hopes to do is improve communications to make sure that schools can report attacks and get help.

Gaidam said: “Lack of [Global System for Mobile Communications] service has prevented patriotic citizens who have hitherto been collaborating with security agents from reporting suspicious movements in their neighborhoods.”

Earlier this year, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe. Jonathan sent troops to the state and also cut of communications to stop Boko Haram groups from communicating with each other. Unfortunately, this has left citizens without a means to report suspicious activity.

The BBC reports that more than 600 people were killed by Boko Haram during 2012.

You can read more about the Yobe school killings here.