Nigeria: Borno schools closed fearing extremists
Local people, some armed with swords gather around the bodies of suspected Islamic militants following an attack at the Giwa Military barracks in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Friday, March, 14. 2014, after the militants struck the northern city of Maiduguri Friday morning, attacking the main military barracks with gunfire and explosions. AP
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria—School officials and teachers say Borno state government has ordered the closure of all high schools amid fears of attacks by Islamic extremists.
Some 100,000 students at 85 schools are affected.
The closures point to the military’s failure to suppress an Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria, and may be considered a victory by the Boko Haram terrorist network whose nickname means “Western education is forbidden.”
Officials and teachers spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being fired.
They said closures were supposed to happen Friday but were delayed by extremists attacking the main army barracks in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, and freeing dozens of detained fighters.
Article continues after this advertisementThe latest school attack killed 59 students last month in neighboring Yobe state.
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