Just two months ago, students at a college in the northeast of Nigeria were shot to death as they slept in their dormitories. As many as 50 students were killed when the attack began at 1am in small town, Gujba. The attack was said to be one of Boko Haram which caused all other 1,000 students of the agricultural college to flee about 25 miles to a nearby town, Damaturu.
Recently another attack by Boko Haram, Islam extremists, took place at a wedding, 40 people were killed including the groom. As the wedding attendants made their way to the reception venue in Borno state, the Boko Haram opened fire and killed a number of people in cold blood. It doesn’t end there, recently they’ve destroyed many homes and businesses as they ambushed the small town of Bama, also in Borno state, many lives were lost, businesses and livestock were also lost.
These Islam extremists have been trying to turn Nigeria, most especially the north East, where the Boko Haram was formed, into an Islamic state. They have not succeeded, their pleas have been turned down so the only way they believe they can get heard is to kill and hurt so many innocent people. In 2009 the ongoing attacks were kept in and around Borno state but recently these attacks have circulated around most of the North of Nigeria, and has even reached as far as the south of Capital, Abuja.
After the attack on the college students, which was only one of many, children of all ages began to fear going to school. The parents are especially afraid of sending their kids to school and not having them come home.
In spite of all the attacks and murders of these young children, there are no records of arrests being made or anyone being charged which makes us wander, when will it all stop? Children’s lives are in danger and so is their education, if these kids have to stop going to school and getting an education because of the Islamist group, who knows what will happen to the next generation of Nigeria. The Nigerian authorities need to provide their protection for these children or these attacks will not stop.
It is very unfortunate that even now, teachers are being specifically targeted by Boko Haram which means they too must flee and it hinders the education of all the children who that one teacher is responsible for.
Education is extremely important for both the teacher and the student especially for less privileged countries like Nigeria and these attacks hopefully will be coming to an end as Amnesty International Nigeria have pleaded that the Boko Haram stop their attacks. “The Nigerian authorities must provide better protection for schools and ensure that attacks are properly investigated and suspected perpetrators brought to justice.”
