International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #241
Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org
Media Contact: William Stark, Regional Manager for Africa RM-AfricaAsia@persecution.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dozens of Young Men Burned to Ashes by Boko Haram in Northeastern Nigeria
Islamic Extremists Attack Government School, Killing Male Students
2/26/2014
Washington D.C.
International Christian Concern
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that at least 58 students were killed after Islamic militants attacked a secondary school in northeastern Nigeria late Monday night, February 24. The militants, suspected to be connected to Boko Haram, blocked the exits of a boys' dormitory, set it on fire and killed the boys who tried to escape the flames. Many of the boys who could not escape were burned alive.
In an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Ibrahim Abdul, a teacher at the Federal Governmental College located in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, said the militants arrived at the school "around 11:30 p.m. and operated till around 4 a.m., killing 29 students."
According to the most recent reports, at least 58 young men were killed in the attack. Many witnesses reported the Boko Haram militants either shot or slit the throats of boys who attempted to escape the burning buildings, but many died in the flames. "Some of the students' bodies were burned to ashes," Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai told CBS News. One Christian charity active in Nigeria claims the death toll could rise above 100.
"I heard the cries of some people outside the school even before they [the militants] invaded the school," a student who survived the attack told Open Doors International, as reported by Christian Today. "From where I was hiding I could hear other students crying at the top of their voices. I saw fire on the roofs of the hostels and other buildings in the school. But God saved my life. After they killed the students and burnt the structures, they fled."
In an interview with ICC, Special Counsel for The Justice for Jos Project, Emmanuel Ogebe linked attacks on federal schools to Christian persecution and explained why the Christian population is hard hit by these attacks. "There are already confirmed reports of Christian victims," Ogebe said. "There is a high likelihood that many Christians attended the school since many northern state governments, like Yobe, spend public funds on Islamic schools and discourage Christian schools," Ogebe explained."The federal schools [like the school in Buni Yadi] afford a rare opportunity for Christians to send their kids to government-owned non-Islamic school."
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is a sin," has a stated goal of establishing a separate Islamic state in Nigeria's northern and central regions where it can implement its ultra-conservative interpretation of Sharia law. Boko Haram often targets schools, government institutions and religious minorities, mostly Christians, as part of a broader strategy to create a purely Islamic society in northern Nigeria. In 2012, Boko Haram demanded all Christians living in northern and central Nigeria to flee south. Since then, Boko Haram has targeted the Christian minority with church bombings, drive-by shootings and deadly raids on Christian villages as part of its strategy to 'purify' northern and central Nigeria.
ICC's Regional Manager, William Stark, said, "Boko Haram continues to operate almost unchallenged in northern Nigeria, unleashing unending violence on civilian populations. This heinous attack on the school in Yobe state comes less than a week after Boko Haram militants raided the Christian village of Izghe in Borno state, killing over 100 Christian villagers because of their religious identity. ICC has applauded action taken by the U.S. to designate Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013, but more decisive action must be taken. The Nigerian government, who declared a state of emergency in several of Nigeria's northern states, has shown an inability or unwillingness to protect civilians from Boko Haram. If no decisive action is taken either by the U.S. or Nigeria, the unbelievable violence being perpetrated in Nigeria will continue to accelerate and will likely reach genocidal levels in the near future if it has not already."
For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for Africa: RM-AfricaAsia@persecution.org
# # #
You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.
2020 Pennsylvania Ave. NW #241
Washington, D.C. 20006
www.persecution.org | E-mail: icc@persecution.org
Media Contact: William Stark, Regional Manager for Africa RM-AfricaAsia@persecution.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dozens of Young Men Burned to Ashes by Boko Haram in Northeastern Nigeria
Islamic Extremists Attack Government School, Killing Male Students
2/26/2014
Washington D.C.
International Christian Concern
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that at least 58 students were killed after Islamic militants attacked a secondary school in northeastern Nigeria late Monday night, February 24. The militants, suspected to be connected to Boko Haram, blocked the exits of a boys' dormitory, set it on fire and killed the boys who tried to escape the flames. Many of the boys who could not escape were burned alive.
In an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Ibrahim Abdul, a teacher at the Federal Governmental College located in Buni Yadi, Yobe State, said the militants arrived at the school "around 11:30 p.m. and operated till around 4 a.m., killing 29 students."
According to the most recent reports, at least 58 young men were killed in the attack. Many witnesses reported the Boko Haram militants either shot or slit the throats of boys who attempted to escape the burning buildings, but many died in the flames. "Some of the students' bodies were burned to ashes," Police Commissioner Sanusi Rufai told CBS News. One Christian charity active in Nigeria claims the death toll could rise above 100.
"I heard the cries of some people outside the school even before they [the militants] invaded the school," a student who survived the attack told Open Doors International, as reported by Christian Today. "From where I was hiding I could hear other students crying at the top of their voices. I saw fire on the roofs of the hostels and other buildings in the school. But God saved my life. After they killed the students and burnt the structures, they fled."
In an interview with ICC, Special Counsel for The Justice for Jos Project, Emmanuel Ogebe linked attacks on federal schools to Christian persecution and explained why the Christian population is hard hit by these attacks. "There are already confirmed reports of Christian victims," Ogebe said. "There is a high likelihood that many Christians attended the school since many northern state governments, like Yobe, spend public funds on Islamic schools and discourage Christian schools," Ogebe explained."The federal schools [like the school in Buni Yadi] afford a rare opportunity for Christians to send their kids to government-owned non-Islamic school."
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is a sin," has a stated goal of establishing a separate Islamic state in Nigeria's northern and central regions where it can implement its ultra-conservative interpretation of Sharia law. Boko Haram often targets schools, government institutions and religious minorities, mostly Christians, as part of a broader strategy to create a purely Islamic society in northern Nigeria. In 2012, Boko Haram demanded all Christians living in northern and central Nigeria to flee south. Since then, Boko Haram has targeted the Christian minority with church bombings, drive-by shootings and deadly raids on Christian villages as part of its strategy to 'purify' northern and central Nigeria.
ICC's Regional Manager, William Stark, said, "Boko Haram continues to operate almost unchallenged in northern Nigeria, unleashing unending violence on civilian populations. This heinous attack on the school in Yobe state comes less than a week after Boko Haram militants raided the Christian village of Izghe in Borno state, killing over 100 Christian villagers because of their religious identity. ICC has applauded action taken by the U.S. to designate Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013, but more decisive action must be taken. The Nigerian government, who declared a state of emergency in several of Nigeria's northern states, has shown an inability or unwillingness to protect civilians from Boko Haram. If no decisive action is taken either by the U.S. or Nigeria, the unbelievable violence being perpetrated in Nigeria will continue to accelerate and will likely reach genocidal levels in the near future if it has not already."
For interviews, contact William Stark, Regional Manager for Africa: RM-AfricaAsia@persecution.org
# # #
You are free to disseminate this news story. We request that you reference ICC (International Christian Concern) and include our web address, www.persecution.org. ICC is a Washington-DC based human rights organization that exists to help persecuted Christians worldwide. ICC provides Awareness, Advocacy, and Assistance to the worldwide persecuted Church. For additional information or for an interview, contact ICC at 800-422-5441.
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