Boko Haram Kills 20 students, four in ‘critical condition’ in secondary school attack

The military said none of the attackers was arrested.

The Nigerian military has confirmed that 20 students and a teacher were killed when gunmen, suspected to be Boko Haram members, attacked a secondary school in Yobe.

The spokesman of the Joint Task Force in Yobe, Eli Lazarus, confirmed this in an email enquiry to PREMIUM TIMES.

“At about 0530hrs today Saturday 6 Jul 13, unknown gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram Terrorists attacked Government Secondary School Mamudo near Potiskum Town.“20 students and a teacher were confirmed killed by the terrorists while 4 students sustained injuries and are in critical condition,” the spokesman said.

Mr. Lazarus said no arrest has been made while a “cordon and search operation” is ongoing in the general area.

A witness said many of the victims were burnt alive by the attackers.

The Associated Press said its reporter found chaotic scenes at a hospital in Potiskum where the bodies of the victims were taken to, as parents struggled to identify the bodies of the children.

The attack occurs less than one month after gunmen, on June 16, killed seven students and two teachers in a government secondary school in Damaturu; and nine students a day later in neighbouring Borno State.

The attacks occur despite the State of Emergency imposed on Yobe, Borno and Adamawa by President Goodluck Jonathan in May.

The Nigerian military had claimed after the June attacks that the nature of the attacks showed the Boko Haram were being defeated.

Saturday’s attack will further lead to the question raised by opponents of the emergency rule on whether it has been effective as the terrorist attacks have not stopped since the emergency rule. The military has, however, said it is winning the war against the insurgents.