Three schools were burnt down in Biu, a Borno State town, yesterday, as soldiers and gunmen believed to be members of the Boko Haram were locked in a gun battle.
It was gathered that the series of bomb blasts and gunfire started just after midnight on Saturday and lasted for about four hours. Residents of the town could not sleep throughout the night as the terrorists set the schools ablaze. They also could not come out while the schools were in flame.
A source in Biu, a town 185kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital, told reporters on the telephone that the three schools attacked were privately owned. They are Godiya Primary school, Lajada Private school and Standard Private school. The resident expressed shock at the attack despite the imposition of an unofficial curfew on the town.
“We were shocked by last night’s attack on the schools because Biu town closes down at 5:30pm to observe the curfew imposed on the town since last Wednesday robbery attack at Coca Cola mini depot that led to the death of a soldier and three others. “We cannot but ask the soldiers to explain to us how three schools could be burnt down during the curfew hours and none of the culprits was arrested.”
A top security officer in Maiduguri who declined to be quoted since he is not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed the attacks. Spokesman of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Lt. Col Sagir Musa, could not be reached for comment last night.
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