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| Nigeria school blast kills dozens, say police | Nigeria school blast kills dozens, say police |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A suicide bomb attack killed 47 people and injured 79 others as students gathered for Monday morning assembly at their school in north-east Nigeria, police said. | A suicide bomb attack killed 47 people and injured 79 others as students gathered for Monday morning assembly at their school in north-east Nigeria, police said. |
| “There was an explosion detonated by a suicide bomber,” national police spokesman Emmanuel Ojukwu said, referring to the attack in Potiskum in Yobe state. “We have 47 dead and 79 injured.” | |
| Survivors told the Associated Press that the suicide bomber was disguised in a school uniform and appeared to have hidden the explosives in a type of rucksack popular with students. | |
| Soldiers who rushed to the scene were reportedly chased away by people angry at the military’s inability to halt a five-year Islamic insurgency that has killed thousands and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. | Soldiers who rushed to the scene were reportedly chased away by people angry at the military’s inability to halt a five-year Islamic insurgency that has killed thousands and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes. |
| About 2,000 students had gathered for Monday morning’s weekly assembly at the Government Technical Science College when the explosion blasted through the school hall, according to survivors. | About 2,000 students had gathered for Monday morning’s weekly assembly at the Government Technical Science College when the explosion blasted through the school hall, according to survivors. |
| “We were waiting for the principal to address us, around 7.30am, 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,” 17-year-old student Musa Ibrahim Yahaya said from hospital, where he was being treated for head wounds. | “We were waiting for the principal to address us, around 7.30am, 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,” 17-year-old student Musa Ibrahim Yahaya said from hospital, where he was being treated for head wounds. |
| Hospital workers said dozens are being treated including people with serious injuries that may need amputations. | Hospital workers said dozens are being treated including people with serious injuries that may need amputations. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Boko Haram militants are likely to be the prime suspects. | There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but Boko Haram militants are likely to be the prime suspects. |
| The group, which wants to create a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigerian, has previously carried out deadly attacks on schools teaching a “western” curriculum. | The group, which wants to create a hardline Islamic state in northern Nigerian, has previously carried out deadly attacks on schools teaching a “western” curriculum. |
| In February, gunmen killed at least 40 students after throwing explosives into the dormitory of a government boarding school in Buni Yadi, also in Yobe state. | In February, gunmen killed at least 40 students after throwing explosives into the dormitory of a government boarding school in Buni Yadi, also in Yobe state. |
| In July last year, 42 students were killed when Boko Haram attacked dormitories in a gun and bomb attack on a government boarding school in the village of Mamudo, near Potiskum. | In July last year, 42 students were killed when Boko Haram attacked dormitories in a gun and bomb attack on a government boarding school in the village of Mamudo, near Potiskum. |
| Boko Haram’s most high-profile attack on a school came in April, when fighters kidnapped 276 girls from the town of Chibok in Borno state, also in north-east Nigeria. More than six months later, 219 of the girls are still being held. | Boko Haram’s most high-profile attack on a school came in April, when fighters kidnapped 276 girls from the town of Chibok in Borno state, also in north-east Nigeria. More than six months later, 219 of the girls are still being held. |
| Potiskum, the commercial hub of Yobe state, has been targeted repeatedly by attacks blamed on Boko Haram. Last week, at least 15 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack targeting a Shia religious ceremony in the city. | Potiskum, the commercial hub of Yobe state, has been targeted repeatedly by attacks blamed on Boko Haram. Last week, at least 15 people were killed in a suicide bomb attack targeting a Shia religious ceremony in the city. |
| Yobe is one of three north-eastern states that has been under a state of emergency since May last year to try to quell the bloody insurgency. | Yobe is one of three north-eastern states that has been under a state of emergency since May last year to try to quell the bloody insurgency. |
| But violence has continued and Boko Haram has seized at least two dozen towns and villages in recent months, raising doubts about the government’s ability to control the region. | But violence has continued and Boko Haram has seized at least two dozen towns and villages in recent months, raising doubts about the government’s ability to control the region. |