The Presidency has reacted to the killing of over 40 students and a teacher at a secondary school in Yobe, describing it as wicked, horrific and barbaric.
Yobe is one of the three north-eastern states under emergency rule. The other two are Borno and Adamawa states.
A statement by Presidential Media Adviser, Reuben Abati on Sunday said the President has however vowed to carry on with the war on terror until when the insurgents are finally crushed.
On Saturday, gunmen suspected to be members of the Islamist insurgents invaded Government Secondary School in Mamudo village in Yobe State, shooting sporadically and killed no fewer than 40 in the process.
Abati said, “The killing is barbaric, completely wicked. Anybody who will target innocent children for any kind of grief of emotional dysfunction will certainly go to hell.
“Mr. President wants to assure Nigerians that these kinds of desperate Nigerians will be flushed out of the system.
“Mr. President committed to the issue of the protection of lives and properties of all Nigerians and he wants to assure that the war against terrorists has been launched and will continue and the Nigerian government is determined to put an end to this menace.
“The President Sympathises with the families affected and he stands by them at this moment of grief. The killing is most unfortunate most regrettable and Mr. President wants to assure Nigerians that any attempt by any group to undermine this government will be resisted”, he said
In the same vein, the British government also condemned the killing, describing it as senseless and appalling. A statement by the Foreign Office for Africa decried targeting of schools for attack.
The statement by Minister for Africa, Mark Simmonds, reads, “I offer condolences to the families of those killed and injured in the attack on a school in Yobe State in Nigeria today.
“This savage attack on a place of learning is a particularly appalling act and I condemn it utterly. This senseless atrocity shows yet again that these groups have no desire to improve the lives and build better and brighter futures for Nigerians.
“These attacks come just over two weeks after similar attacks against students in Damaturu and Maiduguri. The UK will continue to do what it can to help Nigeria tackle terrorism.”
