Terrorist Threat Closes Nigerian Schools

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2014-03-19

Authorities in Nigeria's Borno state have shut down all public schools due to the threat posed by militant group Boko Haram.

The government ordered the closure of 85 primary and secondary schools last Friday, and the schools have remained shut this week, cutting off education to tens of thousands of students.

Boko Haram — whose name in the Hausa language means "Western education is forbidden" — is blamed for numerous attacks on schools and other government targets in northeastern Nigeria over the past few years.

Thousands of people have died in the violence. Efforts by Nigeria's military to hunt down militants and halt the insurgency have failed to stop frequent large-scale attacks.

Last Friday, gunmen staged a brazen daytime attack on a military barracks in the state capital, Maiduguri, freeing some detained suspected militants.

Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram has launched attacks in more than 40 villages in northeastern Nigeria since the start of the year.

Source: Voice of America

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