Suicide bomber kills 47 students in Yobe

  Jonathan, Gaidam, US, Atiku condemn attack

By Sadiq Abubakar, Maiduguri, Innocent Odoh and Bode Olagoke, Abuja

A suicide bomber who disguised in school uniform yesterday detonated explosives that killed at least 47 students in Yobe state.
The blast at the Government Comprehensive Science Secondary School, Potiskum, also wounded another 79.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Nansak Chegwam, told the  News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Potiskum: “We have just received the report but the details are not yet available because it happened just this morning.”
The Force Public Relations Office (FPRO), acting Commissioner of Police (CP) Emmanuel Ojukwu, later told the BBC Hausa service the attack had left 47 people dead, including the suicide bomber.
“At about 08:00am (07:00 GMT), a suicide bomber disguised himself as one of the male students and while the school was holding its normal assembly, the bomb went off,” Ojukwu said.
He added that police were investigating the explosion.
Some 2,000 students had gathered for yesterday morning’s weekly assembly at the college when the explosion blasted through the school hall, according to survivors who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions.
“We were waiting for the principal to address us, around 7:30 a.m., when we heard a deafening sound and I was blown off my feet. People started screaming and running. I saw blood all over my body,” said a 17-year-old student, Musa Ibrahim Yahaya, who is recuperating at a general hospital, where he was being treated for head wounds.
Hospital workers told our correspondent that dozen others were being treated, including people with serious injuries that might need amputations.
A morgue attendant, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said 48 bodies were brought to the hospital and all appeared to be between the ages of 11 and 20.
Survivors said the bomber appeared to have hidden the explosives in the type of rucksack popular with students.
A grieving relative told the BBC: “My brother, a student in the school, died in the blast. He was about 16 years old… We buried him at about 11:00 a.m. (10:00 GMT) today.”
“The government needs to be more serious about the fight against Boko Haram because it is getting out of control,” he added.
In his reaction to the attack, President Goodluck Jonathan issued a statement offering his “heartfelt commiserations” to those affected by the blast.
Though he admitted that Nigeria had seen setbacks in its fight against terror, the president maintained that those responsible would be “brought to justice and made to pay for their atrocious crimes”.
The state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, expressed shock and said President Jonathan has a very urgent responsibility to explain to the people of Yobe state and people all across the affected states “why murderous and callous insurgent and criminal attacks are still on the rise despite the State of Emergency.”
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Press Affairs and Information, Malam Abdullahi Bego, the governor noted that this was the fifth time in a little over one year when our schools in Yobe state were brutally attacked and students killed.
“There was Government Secondary School, Damaturu; Government Secondary School Mamudo; College of Agriculture, Gujba; Federal Government College, Buni-Yadi; and now Government Comprehensive School, Potiskum, he said.
Bego said: “Governor Gaidam deeply regrets that all of these dastardly attacks took place under a climate of Emergency Rule declared in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states by President Goodluck Jonathan.”
he added: “In theory, the Emergency Rule Declaration was a signal that more vigorous steps would be taken to protect the lives and property of people in the affected States and deploy the full might of the federal government to restore peace and security. Unfortunately, this has not been fully the case. Instead of forcing insurgents and criminals to flee, the insurgents are forcing innocent people to flee and making life miserable for everyone.”
According to him, the governor also believes that it is not just enough for the federal government to condemn the almost daily rounds of violence. “He believes urgent action must be taken right now to restore a fast waning public confidence by doing whatever it takes to stop the escalating violence.”
The governor has also ordered for the immediate closure of all public schools around the Potiskum area until a full review of the situation is undertaken.
He called on people throughout the state to exercise restraint and continue to pray for the intervention of Almighty Allah (SWT).
He assured members of the general public that despite the State of Emergency in place, he would continue to do everything within his powers to get the federal government to do more and also to continue to offer his administration’s support to all people affected.
“The governor has directed hospital authorities in Potiskum to provide immediate medical support to victims of the school attack free of charge.
The Yobe state government pledged to foot the medical bills of some of the victims who have been referred to the Federal Medical Centres in Nguru and Azare.
The governor also directed the commissioner of health to undertake regular review of the conditions of victims and suggest what additional measures might be needed to help them recover.
The United States government has also condemned the attack in the all-boys school and other incessant attacks on defenceless civilians this past week.
A statement issued by the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy in Abuja said the ceaseless attacks included the occasion of Ashura in Potiskum in Yobe state and in Gombe, Gombe state, on November 3 in Malam Fatori in Borno state on November 6 in Azare in Bauchi state on November 7 and most recently in Potiskum yesterday.
It said: “The United States offers its sincere sympathy to the injured and to the families of the murdered.  We urge the government of Nigeria to investigate these and other attacks to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The United States remains committed to supporting the people of northern Nigeria in their struggle to stop the abhorrent actions of Boko Haram and associated terrorist groups.”
Similarly, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has expressed outrage over the attack by a yet-to-be identified suicide bomber.
In a statement by his media office in Abuja, Atiku said the latest bombing which needlessly claimed the lives of young and promising Nigerian school children, is “one too many.”
He said it once again underscored the need for the government at all levels, including elders and opinion leaders to find a permanent solution to the problem of insurgency.
He said the tragic incident in Potiskum was not the first time in Yobe state and indeed in the troubled North-east region that innocent young people were subjected to violence and untimely death for the simple reason that they wanted an education.
“One expects that knowing the anti-education mind-set of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes, the relevant authorities should have done their bit to ensure that at least, our educational institutions are provided with additional security.”
Atiku appealed to the perpetrators of this crime and similar ones in the past to have a rethink and refrain from taking life “which none of us can create.”
He expressed his condolences to the government and people of Yobe state, the management, staff and students of Government Technical Science College, Potiskum, the parents and guardians of the affected students and all those who may have been adversely affected by the senseless murder of these innocent students.Untitled-5

Bodies of the victims of a suicide bomb explosion are carried for burial in ...
Bodies of the victims of a suicide bomb explosion are carried for burial in …