Photo: Premium Times
Boko Haram (file photo)
OPEN DOORS RELEASE: Please pray for the situation in Yobe, where another Boko Haram attack has left an estimated 100 or more students dead.
Sources told Open Doors that as many as 100 students of the Federal Government College in Gujba village (near Damaturu in Yobe State) may have died on Monday night, when suspected Boko Haram members attacked the school and dormitory. After arriving around midnight, in six Toyota Hilux vans, the attackers separated the male and female students before shooting some students, slitting the throats of others or locking others into buildings before razing them.
A student, who had narrowly escaped, told Open Doors over the phone:
“I heard the cries of some people outside the school even before they invaded the school. I suspected that they caught some people on their way to the school, and sensed danger, so I jumped over the fence of the school and crawled into a ditch and stayed there praying and listening. 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. I was counting myself among the dead, because some attackers came from behind and I heard them passing very close to where I was hiding. But God saved my life.”
Although it was reported on Monday that the death toll had risen to 57, local sources told Open Doors that more than hundred students were killed. Bala Ajiya, an official at the Specialist Hospital Damaturu, told Reuters by phone, “Fresh bodies have been brought in. More bodies were discovered in the bush after the students who had escaped with bullet wounds died from their injuries.”
Local church leaders told Open Doors that there are an unknown number of Christians among the deceased.
The school has been closed and surviving students have been sent home.
Please pray for all families affected
Parents from different parts of the region are streaming to the area to see if their children have survived. Witnesses told Open Doors that people could be seen in the town crying uncontrollably at the sight of the destruction yesterday. At the time of this report, bodies were still being brought into the mortuary in the nearby Damaturu, capital of Yobe state. Pray that God would be at work through His Spirit in these very tragic circumstances, comforting His children and drawing those who do not know Him closer to Himself.
Pray for wisdom and courage for the government to take the necessary action against Boko Haram
The attacks on schools are on the increase in Yobe, Adamawa and Borno state by the members of Boko Haram. In spite of the presence of the security in some parts of the state, these attacks continue unabated. This latest attack came only hours after President Goodluck told media the Nigerian army is in control of the situation. Pray that there will be constructive help for the Nigerian government in dealing with Boko Haram.
Pray for the brave but shaken Church in Yobe
Open Doors has recently visited Damaturu and witnessed widespread destruction from the continuing Boko Haram insurgency. This instability is adversely affecting the Church. After seeing the large number of casualties among Christians in the persistent attacks, many have opted to leave. This exodus is eroding the Church. Some courageous Christians have remained, but are in dire need of encouragement and support
“The truth is, life in the region is very difficult, and every single day is a miracle,” reported an Open Doors worker from northern Nigeria.
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