Nigerian officials are blaming the Islamic extremist group, the Boko Haram, for Tuesday's vicious attack on students. Militants are accused of setting fire to a boarding school, killing at least twenty-nine people. Female students were spared, as attackers reportedly told them to “go home, get married and abandon Western education.” 

SEE ALSO: Goodluck Jonathan Wins Re-Election of Nigerian Presidency 

The Federal Government College, a secondary school in the northeast region of Nigeria, was destroyed. Those who tried to escape the blaze were shot at or had their throats slit. Tuesday’s fire is the most recent in a series of deadly attacks that have killed over 300 people in February alone. Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan dismissed claims that the military is losing in the war against the Boko Haram. 

SEE ALSO: Nigeria: Islamic Terror, Slaughter of Christians Receives Scant International Attention

Local government chairman Maina Ularamu said of the growing violence in Nigeria: “There is no protection… People can’t sleep with their eyes closed.” 

 

Read more at the BBC, the Voice of America, and the Washington Post.

Contact Executive Producer Sarah Geisler here. Follow her on Twitter here.