Boko Haram bombings tempt students to boycott classes

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) is threatening to steer clear of classes if the government fails to guarantee the safety of students in all the nation’s higher institutions. This comes after the fundamentalist sect Boko Haram has carried out subsequent attacks targeted at tertiary institutions in Northern Nigeria.
By Ayo Okulaja, Lagos
On Sunday, gunmen on motorcycles threw an explosive into a Christian mass taking place on the campus of Bayero University, Kano State. The attack killed two professors and 13 others. Last Thursday, bombs rattled the administrative building of Gombe State University in the north-east of the country.
Boycott looms
NANS president Mohammed Dauda reacted to Sunday’s attack, stating: “NANS in the next few days shall not hesitate to order a total boycott on all Nigerian campuses until the issue of the security of lives and property is guaranteed on our campuses.”
He noted that “it is saddening to imagine that a group under whatever pretense could unleash terror on campus of one of the nation’s foremost universities to maim innocent peaceful worshipers.”
Chastising the Nigerian government for not doing enough to stop the violence, Dauda urged the government to end the bloodshed in the country at all costs. “This act is not only condemnable,” he said. “It has also increased our demand that the federal government should immediately take a concrete step in addressing the wave of terrorism in Nigeria.”[related-articles]
Violent insurgence
In the last year, Boko Haram – whose name means “Western education is sin” – has staged a violent insurgence against the Nigerian government, calling for an imposition of Sharia law on the region.
The group has attacked police stations, coordinated massive jail breaks and bombings of diverse infrastructures. They have also targeted primary and secondary schools in Borno State. Focus now seems to be on universities.