Boko Haram Kill 7 Students,2 Teachers In Yobe

After about 10 months break, Boko Haram made a bloody return to Damaturu, the Yobe State capital at the weekend, attacking a school and killing nine people.

The dead are seven pupils and two teachers of Government Day Secondary School.

The attack, which took place on Sunday night, has forced the tightening of the curfew on the town. Yobe is one of the three states under a state of emergency declared by President Goodluck Jonathan last month.

The others are Adamawa and Borno.

The insurgents also attacked a military checkpoint around the Pilgrims Area of the town, injuring three soldiers, but two of the insurgents were killed during a counter attack by the military.

Joint Task Force (JTF) spokesman Lt. Lazarus Eli, who confirmed the death toll, said three insurgents were captured. Some weapons including one AK47 riffle, one RPG bomb and 48 rounds of 7.62 (special) ammunition, among others, were recovered.

The insurgents according to eyewitnesses gained entrance into the porous school and lunched attack on the students at about 9.30pm in their hostel.

Mohammed Idi, one of the injured pupils who sustained gunshot injuries, told our correspondent at the Accident and Emergency Ward of the Gen. Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu that he was shot as he came out of the hostel while hearing gunshots.

“We were sleeping in the hostel and, suddenly, we heard gunshots very close to the hostel. We got confused and many of us scattered. I immediately came out and saw one of the Boko Haram militants who started shooting at us.

“I was shot in the leg and the bullet went through my bone. I fell down and tried to run, but I could not run because my leg was very stiff with pains. Somebody came and dragged me by the hand. I initially thought I was in the enemy’s care until I realised that it was one of our students trying to help me to escape,” Idi said.

The school authority confirmed that nine people died from the attack.

Our correspondent who visited the school observed that only final year students were there, writing their National Examinations Council (NECO) examinations. The others have fled from the school. One of the supervisors said three of the students killed were final year students.

Dr. Salim Mohamed Umar said the state hospital had received 11 bodies and seven students with various gunshot injuries.

One of the injured students said the insurgents tied the hands of one of the students who took them to the house of one of the teachers. Four people, including the teacher, were killed in that house.

Dr. Umar said one of the dead students had some defensive injuries on his hands. He explained that all the students killed were either shot on the head or in the neck.

The latest attack ended almost 10 months of relative peace in the state capital, Damaturu and other parts of the state.

The situation compelled the state government to upgrade the curfew to 6pm to 6.00am, from 9pm to 7am.

Some parts of the state capital, such as Potiskum Road, Ali Malami Estate, and Pilgrims, were locked down by men of the JTF during the search for the attackers.