Nigerian troops to probe killing of students in northeast state

Authorities of the Nigerian Defense Headquarters (DHQ) on Tuesday dispatched a high powered fact finding team to northeast Yobe State following the weekend attack on a school, where more than 20 students, a teacher and a preacher were killed. Gunmen suspected to be members of the Boko Haram sect on Saturday attacked the Government Secondary School in Mamudo, Yobe State, killing more than 20 students, a teacher and an Islamic preacher. The attack occurred while the students were asleep. Chris Olukolade, spokesperson for the defense headquarters, said in Abuja on Tuesday that the team is led by Maj.-Gen. Collins Ariahu, Chief of Research and Development in the DHQ. The team is expected to carry out on-the-spot assessment of the deployment of troops of the Joint Task Force in the state, the military spokesperson added, noting that the team is to pay particular attention to the security circumstances surrounding the attack on the Government Secondary School, Mamudo, near Potiskum, at the weekend. According to him, the team is to also visit troops deployed in remote locations in Yobe state to verify the effectiveness of patrol and cordon and search operations. He said this is to forestall any further breach of security and track down perpetrators of the weekend attack, adding that the team is expected to brief the Chief of Defense Staff in respect of any requirement for additional troops and logistics for the operation in Yobe state. Boko Haram militants have waged an insurgency in Nigeria since 2009. More than 2,000 have been killed in the conflict, which has its roots in northeastern part of Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan had declared state of emergency in three north east states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno following increasing waves of killing and attacks by suspected Boko Haram sect. The three states share borders locally and have international borders with African countries Cameroon, Chad and Niger.