Military
kills scores in Boko Haram Yobe air raid
Scores of suspected Islamic militants have been killed in Yobe
State in air raids on a suspected terrorist camp.
The air raids were launched following the killing of 41 students and a
lecturer of the School of Agriculture, Gujba.
The spokesman of the 3 Division Special Operation, Damaturu, Capt.
Lazarus Eli, yesterday confirmed Mondays aerial bombardments in Majari
forest.
Capt. Eli said 15 people, who were arrested in various locations in
Gujba during the raids, were being interrogated.
The spokesman said the military was considering new strategies to
confront the insurgency, led by the Boko Haram, which wants to abolish
Western education and install an Islamic state in the North.
He said: “We have arrested 15 suspects in connection with the last
attack on the school in Gujba. Most of the suspects were arrested at
different locations in Gujba Local Government Area. Some were even
arrested outside Gujba, but those locations cannot be disclosed because
we are still trailing some of the insurgents in those areas.
“We also carried out heavy air raids where many of the insurgents
were killed. The air raid was carried out the day after the attack. We
have also strengthened patrols on the Maiduguri/Damaturu highway to
ensure the safety of travellers on the roads.
“We are evolving strategies to ensure that schools in the state are
safe for learning.”
The Amnesty International yesterday said about 70 teachers and 80
have been killed by Boko Haram in the last one year.
It also said 50 schools were burnt and over 60 forced to shut down.
The AI, in a new report on attacks on schools in the North between
last year and today, claimed that school enrolment and attendance had
dropped drastically in the Northeast.
In the report, which was released by Amnesty International’s Deputy
Africa Director, Lucy Freeman, the group alleged that no one had been
arrested or prosecuted by the authorities over the attacks.
The report said between July and September 2013, up to 80 school
children and students were reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in two
separate attacks in Yobe State.
It claimed that on July 6, 30 people, including at least 25 school
children, were killed in their dormitories in Mamudo, Yobe State.
The report read: “Hundreds have been killed in these horrific
attacks. Thousands of children have been forced out of schools across
communities in Northern Nigeria and many teachers have been forced to
flee for their safety.
“Attacks against school children, teachers and school buildings
demonstrate an absolute disregard for the right to life and the right to
education.
“According to the report on Education under attack in Nigeria, this
year alone, at least 70 teachers and scores of pupils have been
slaughtered and many others wounded. Some 50 schools have been burnt or
seriously damaged and over 60 others have been forced to close.
“The Islamist group, commonly known as Boko Haram, has claimed
responsibility for many, but not all, of the attacks.
“Between 2010 and 2011, attacks were mostly carried out when schools
were empty. However, since the beginning of 2013, they appear to have
become more targeted and brutal. They frequently happen when schools are
occupied and, according to reports received by Amnesty International,
teachers and pupils are now being directly targeted and killed.”
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