Suicide Bomber Kills 48 Students In Potiskum, Yobe State

POTISKUM, Nigeria (AP) — A suicide bomber disguised in school uniform

detonated explosives at a high school assembly in the northeast Nigerian

city of Potiskum on Monday, killing at least 48 students, according to

survivors and a morgue attendant. Soldiers rushed to the scene, grisly with body parts, in the capital of

Yobe state, but they were chased away with stones and calls by people

angry at the military's inability to halt a 5-year-old Islamic insurgency

that has killed thousands and driven hundreds of thousands from their

homes. A suicide bomb attack in the same city killed 30 people one week ago, when

suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked a religious procession of moderate

Muslims. Some 2,000 students had gathered for Monday morning's weekly assembly at

the Government Technical Science College when the explosion blasted

through the school hall, according to survivors who spoke on condition of

anonymity for fear of repercussions. “We were waiting for the principal to address us, around 7:30 a.m., when

we heard a deafening sound and I was blown off my feet, people started

screaming and running, I saw blood all over my body,” 17-year-old student

Musa Ibrahim Yahaya said from the general hospital, where he was being

treated for head wounds. Hospital workers said dozens are being treated including people with

serious injuries that may need amputations. A morgue attendant said 48 bodies were brought to the hospital and all

appeared to be between the ages of 11 and 20 years old. He spoke on

condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give information to

reporters. Survivors said the bomber appeared to have hidden the explosives in the

type of rucksack popular with students. Months ago Nigeria's military had

reported finding a bomb factory where explosives were being sewn into

rucksacks in the northern city of Kano. Many Nigerians are angry that Boko Haram has increased attacks and

bombings since the government on Oct. 17 claimed to have brokered a

cease-fire. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has denied negotiating a

truce.   The post Suicide Bomber Kills 48 Students In Potiskum, Yobe State appeared first on Pointblank News .