Mallam Saleh Ali, one of the parents of the Faudiya Islamic school in Geidam, Yobe State, where children were attacked and killed by suspected Boko Haram members, described the killings as barbaric and heartless.
Gunmen, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram insurgency group attacked the school in the early hours of Friday, killing three students and injuring one.
The hoodlums, according to the police, came on motorbikes with AK-47 rifles, entered into the school and shot dead three, while one of the students who got injured was taken to an undisclosed hospital where he’s receiving treatment.
While mourning the loss of his child, Ali called on the authorities, especially the police and army, to take action and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Recounting the tragic event, Ali told Sunday Nigerian that the attack took place while the children were asleep in their rooms.
According to him, the gunmen forcibly brought them out and shot three of them dead on the spot, injuring one who is currently receiving treatment at Nguru Hospital.
Ali said, “These children normally go to school every Thursday of the week and sleep in the school. The report of their killings was reported the next day, Friday, by people in their neighborhood.
“We don’t know the killers. When the police and Army visited us to condole with us over the sad incident, they did not tell us who the killers were. When we heard the sad news, we were seriously terrified.
“The school belongs to us (members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria or Shiites). The victims of the attack were Ahmad AbdulRahman, Mohammed Saleh and Abdullahi Adamu.
“The fourth victim is Saleh Haruna who is now receiving treatment at a hospital. He was shot in the leg.”
Mallam AbdulRahman, the father of late Ahmad, stated that they (parents) had entrusted the matter to God’s judgment, refusing to comment further on the attack.
He criticised the government for failing to protect the lives and property of its citizens, emphasising the urgent need for increased security measures to prevent further senseless killings.
“They have left everything in the hands of God. The Almighty will surely judge over this attack on our children.
The Headmaster of Faudiya Islamic School, Mallam Kolo Mohammed, lamented the unprecedented nature of the incident in their 30 years of operation, calling for divine justice and expressing shock at the senseless violence.
“We have been operating the school since 30 years. It’s unfortunate that a situation like this is happening to us.
“We are not fighting anyone, we don’t have enemies. We are peace loving people. Why should this happen to us. God Almighty will judge over this incident, insha Allah.
“We are not going to do anything on this, the authorities; police and army, will know what to do on this matter. We have left everything in the hands of the Creator.
The District Head of Barko and representative of the Emir of Geidam, Zannah Nur, condemned the attack on Faudiya Islamic school, describing it as barbaric.
Nur urged the state government to take a decisive action to stop the ongoing loss of innocent lives.
“We have visited the homes of the deceased students to offer our condolences on behalf of the Geidam Emirate and the people of Geidam.
“As leaders, we will continue to engage with security forces and the state government to halt these senseless killings of our people,” he added.
Speaking on the incident, the spokesperson for the Yobe State Police Command, Dungus Abdulkarim, said, “The suspected terrorists attacked the Islamic school on 10 motorcycles with AK-47 rifles and shot sporadically at 4:00am (on Thursday).
“The school belongs to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, also known as the Shiite.
“When we received a distress call, the police in Geidam rushed to the school and discovered that three students were killed with the injuring of one another.
“The injured student was taken to the Geidam Specialists Hospital for treatment.”
He confirmed that the students that were killed were Muhammadu Saleh, 22 years, Ahmed Abdulrahaman, 21, and Abdullahi Adamu, 21, while the hospitalised student is Sani Haruna, 25 years old.
