14 DAY TRIAL // All elementary schools in Yobe state in Nigeria are being closed down after a massive shooting at a school, killing 42 people over the weekend.
The attack was carried out by Islamic Boko Haram extremists before dawn on July 6, The Freethinker reported.
“It was a gory sight. People who went to the hospital and saw the bodies shed tears. There were 42 bodies, most of them were students. Some of them had parts of their bodies blown off and badly burnt while others had gunshot wounds,” a local describes.
The school was equipped with dorms, and most of the victims were students. The Christian Post wrote that one person killed during the attack was a teacher.
School in the state are to be closed until September, as governor Ibrahim Geidam expresses his concerns over students' safety.
“The closure is to allow the state government in collaboration with the Joint Security Task Force and community leaders to evaluate and evolve better and additional strategies that would ensure the safety and security of students and their teachers,” his spokesman Abdullahi Bego said in a statement.
Explosives and firearms were used to kill the students. They were first brought to a dormitory and explosives were thrown in. Those who tried to run to the surrounding wooded area were shot.
“We received 42 dead bodies of students and other staff of Government Secondary School (in) Mamudo last night. Some of them had gunshot wounds,” details Halliru Aliyu, a doctor with the Potiskum general hospital.
So far, only six survivors who have incurred gunshot wounds have been located and hospitalized.
“Many students escaped into the surrounding bushes with gunshot wounds. Soldiers who combed the area found six students with gunshot wounds and brought them to the hospital where they are receiving treatment,” Aliyu says.