At least 47 students have been killed by a suicide bomber at a school assembly in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Potiskum, police have said. The explosion at a boys science and technical school in the town is believed to have been caused by a suicide bomber dressed as a student. Militant group Boko Haram is believed to be behind the blast, police said. The group has targeted schools during a deadly five-year insurgency campaign to establish an Islamic state. Boko Haram - which translates as Western education is forbidden, is waging a sustained campaign to prevent children from going to school. It believes girls should not attend school and boys should only receive an Islamic education. Devastating attack The explosion ripped through the assembly hall at the Government Science Secondary School, reports say. Police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu told the BBC Hausa service the bombing had left 47 people dead and another 79 wounded. School children were at the assembly ground this morning at about 7:30 am [06:30 GMT], then a suicide bomber who was disguised and dressed as student detonated a bomb, a witness told the BBC. It was a devastating attack. Dozens of children lost their lives and many more were injured. Some had broken limbs. One student told the BBC he saw the mutilated bodies of fellow students at the scene where emergency operations are ongoing. A resident reported seeing parents wailing at the sight of their childrens bodies at the hospital. Soldiers who attended the site of the explosion were met with fury by the assembled crowds who pelted them with stones and accused them of not doing enough to halt Boko Harams insurgency. Read more at; bbc/news/world-africa-29985252
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:04:16 +0000
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