Gun attack on Islamic school kills 1 in Nigeria

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - One student was killed and several others injured Tuesday, when gunmen fired at an Islamic school in Bukuru, near Jos, capital of Nigeria's volatile central state of Plateau, the military said.

The spokesman for the military Special Task Force (STF) in the state, Capt. Salisu Mustafa, however told journalists that there was no bomb explosion in the school as earlier reported, adding: ''There was nothing like a bomb blast. It was just an attack by unknown gunmen.’’

Meanwhile, tension is high in the city following the attack, as youths protesting the attack have blocked the Bukuru-Jos highway

''Following the attack carried out by unknown gunmen, some youths blocked the Bukuru-Jos expressway. As I speak with you, our men have dismantled some road blocks mounted by the aggrieved youths. Our men have also taken positions in strategic places to avoid further breakdown of law and order,’’ Capt. Mustafa said.

Parts of Plateau remain under a night-time curfew that was imposed by the state government last week, following attacks on many Christian villages in the Riyom and Barkin-Ladi council areas that left 95 people dead, including two MPs.

Plateau has been witnessing incessant deadly clashes between the largely Christian indigenes and the Muslim Hausa/Fulani ''settlers''.
-0- PANA SEG 17July2012