Suicide bomb in Nigeria kills almost 50 students, Boko Haram suspected

A suicide bomber disguised as a student set off explosives in a school assembly in Potiskum, Nigeria on Monday, killing almost 50. Hospital records showed 48 bodies and many body parts were brought to the morgue. 79 students were also admitted, many with serious injuries that may require amputations, health workers said. The bombing came one week after a suicide attack in Potiskum, the capital of Yobe state, killed 30 people taking part in a religious procession by moderate Muslims. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. But observers strongly suspect that Boko Haram, Nigeria’s most notorious terror organisation, was involved.

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.

Musa Ibrahim Yahaya, 17-year-old student

Boko Haram achieved international notoriety through its kidnapping of over 200 girls in Chibok in April, an act that sparked a high-profile campaign to obtain their release. In the past year and a half, the list of Boko Haram atrocities has grown. An attack on a high school in Mamudo, also in Yobe state, killed 42 last July, and a subsequent massacre in the state claimed 29 additional lives this February.

Boko Haram particularly targets schools because they are soft targets. And they represent everything the group is against — Western education, lifestyle and civilisation.

Ahmed Idris, al Jazeera correspondent

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