Suicide Bomber Attacks Students in Nigeria

Nigeria – A suicide bomber set off explosives hidden in a backpack during an assembly on Monday at a high school in northern Nigeria. The said bomber disguised in a school uniform were able to kill at least 48 students and wounding 79 others during the incident.

This attack was the latest from suspected Boko Haram militants, which kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls earlier this year.

The explosion left a very gruesome crime scene with many splattered body parts. Soldiers rushed to the scene but were chased away by a stone-throwing crowd who are angry of the inability of the military to stop a 5-year old Islamic revolution that has aimed schools and killed thousands.

Boko Haram means “Western education is sinful”. This group of Islamic militants have intensified their attacks and their deadlines after the government announced last month that the government and the group had agreed to a cease-fire and that the kidnapped schoolgirls would be released. The leader of the group has denied this statement of the government.

A week before Monday’s bombing, a suicide attack was made in Potiskum, the capital of Yobe, which killed 30 people who were participating in a moderate Muslims’ religious procession.

On Monday’s bombing, around 2000 students had gathered for their weekly assembly at the Government Technical Science College when the explosion happened around 7:30 a.m., said survivors.

Survivors said that the bombers hid the explosives in the backpack, which a certain type is popular to students. Several months ago the military of Nigeria reported finding a bomb factory in the northern city of Kano, where explosives were being sewn into backpacks.

Forty-eight bodies and many body parts were brought to the morgue according to hospital records. Health workers confirmed 79 students were admitted due to serious injuries that may require amputations. The bombing left the hospital overcrowded that some patients were packed two in a bed.

The U.S. and many countries strongly condemned the attack. The U.N. Secretary-General strongly condemned the suicide bombing.

The UNICEF said that the repeated and relentless attacks on schools and children are attacks on the future of Nigeria, which has the largest out of school children in the world.

The Yobe state government ordered the immediate closure of all government schools in the area.

The Muslim militant group, Boko Haram, attracted international outrage after kidnapping 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls last April while taking exams at the boarding school in northern Nigeria. Many girls were able to escape, but there are 219 still mission. The militant group said that the girls all converted to Islam and been married off to their fighters.

Boko Haram has increased attacks and bombings since October 17, when the Nigerian government claim to have brokered a cease-fire. Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, denied negotiating a treaty.