Education Is the Target of Terrorism in Nigeria

If you’ve being listening to the news lately, you may have heard about the never ending plight of Nigerians in the hands of the Islamic extremist sect known as Boko Haram.

     As part of their beliefs it seems as though they consider formal education as an abomination brought upon us by foreigners and therefore should be purged from existence, and they’ve gone to extreme measures to jeopardize any development towards Education.

    In the northern parts of Nigeria Schools are being set ablaze almost every day with over 15 public and private schools already burnt to the ground thereby forcing over 10,000 children out of schools and into the streets. Although there hasn’t being any major fatalities, dreams as well as the future of these pupils are being killed with every arson. Though this group was seen as anti-western education since their armed insurgences in 2009 the group never attacked schools until recently, with each of their unabated attacks being even greater than the latter.
These actions and inactions of this sect which has left thousands of children without schools have greatly affected a lot of lives in general and not only in the northern parts. Many citizens has fled and those who remains live under constant state of fear of being the next target, some parents are now skeptical about allowing their children to go to school with the fear of their children’s safety. And the implication of this is that most of these children will be left roaming the streets and may unknowingly end up engaging in social vices which will not augur well for the society.

   A Boko Haram spokesman while claiming the attacks to journalists through teleconference also insisted on the unconditional release of their members being held by the security agents before any form of negotiations. And since the Government has sworn not to negotiate with terrorists the attacks still continues. And judging from these recent developments I can’t help but wonder if the children can’t go to schools, what hope is left for the future?