Secondary schools have been ordered to close across Nigeria's north-eastern state of Yobe after a massacre in which Boko Haram Islamist extremists torched Mamudo Boarding school killing 22 students. ‘Boko Haram’ translates as ‘Western education is forbidden’ and dozens of schools have been burned in attacks by them since 2010. Eyewitnesses said some victims were burned alive while others were shot as they fled. An Associated Press reporter found chaotic hospital scenes where traumatised parents struggled to identify their children among the charred bodies and gunshot victims. Survivors said suspected militants arrived with containers full of fuel and set fire to the school. Yobe Governor Ibrahim Gaidam condemned the ‘cold-blooded murder’ and ordered secondary schools to be closed until September to allow state and federal government officials plus community leaders to work towards guaranteeing school safety. He also asked the government to remove mobile phone signal blocks across the state as the lack of mobile communications prevents patriotic citizens from reporting suspicious movements in their neighbourhoods.
Pray: for God to comfort those who mourn and to bless those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness.(Mat.5:3-10)