Thirty-nine students of the Federal Government College Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State have been murdered by gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect.
A resident in the area said he counted 39 lifeless bodies after the attack, which lasted about four hours and ended at about 4am on Tuesday. A total of 24 structures, including the Administrative Block, student hostel and staff quarters, were also burnt down.
“The attackers started the operation around 12:15 unperturbed until after 4am. The gunmen slaughtered the students and shot at them with guns”, the resident said. “It was too horrible because some of the students were slaughtered, while others were burnt inside the hostel”.
Yobe State Police Commissioner, Sanusi A Rufai has confirmed the attack, saying the assailants arrived at the school premises in six Hilux pickup vans and motorcycles, and then opened fire on the students.
Three ambulances were seen entering the school to convey corpses of the dead and the injured, while armed security operatives were patrolling all over the town, although telecommunication network was unavailable in the area.
Army spokesman, Captain Eli Lazarus also confirmed the attack but claimed to have no information on the exact death and injury toll.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar broke down in tears when he was informed of the killing of dozens of pupils of the school.
The former Vice President, who is also Grand Patron of Federal Government College Okigwe Old Students Association, lamented in a strongly-worded statement by his media office in Abuja that all the Federal Government has been doing about addressing the security situation in the north-east region of the country amounts to mere chasing of shadows, if school walls cannot be protected from armed attacks.
He particularly frowned at the impression given by President Goodluck Jonathan at his Presidential Media Chat on Monday that the government has been successful at pushing armed attacks to the fringes of the country.
“My heartfelt condolences go to families of the slain school pupils. It is unfortunate that innocent school children, will become victims of armed attacks”, Atiku said.
“This will not be the first time in recent times that school children are being attacked, and it is particularly disheartening that the Federal Government is yet to devise a strategy of keeping our schools safe from terror attacks. If our counter-insurgency strategies are not strong enough to keep our children safe inside their schools, then one must wonder if such a strategy isn’t mere chasing shadows.
“It is important that the Federal Government ups its counter-insurgency strategy and desists from taking credit in pushing armed attacks to the fringes, as the president would like to put it. No Nigerian’s life is less in value to another”.
Atiku added that it is imperative for government to ensure security in schools, in particular the Federal Government Colleges, because of their unique role in forging national unity among pupils from diverse backgrounds in the country.
In his own reaction, President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the killing, describing it as “heinous, brutal and mindless” and a perpetration by “deranged terrorists and fanatics who have clearly lost all human morality and descended to bestiality”.
According to Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity), Dr. Reuben Abati, the president reassured that his administration would remain relentless in its ongoing efforts to end the scourge of terrorism.
“President Goodluck Jonathan has received with immense sadness and anguish, news of the callous and senseless murder by terrorists of scores of students at a college in Yobe State in the early hours of today”, Abati wrote in a statement.
“On behalf of himself and the Federal Government, President Jonathan extends heartfelt condolences to the parents and relatives of the murdered students. The president wholly condemns the heinous, brutal and mindless killing of the guiltless students by deranged terrorists and fanatics who have clearly lost all human morality and descended to bestiality”.
Jonathan also assured that the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies will continue to prosecute the war against terror with full vigour, diligence and determination until the dark cloud of mass murder and destruction of lives and property is permanently removed from our horizon.
