Mamudo school massacre

At a glance

Dates: From 2013-07-06.

Place: Mamudo, Nigeria.

Type: massacre, terrorist attack, and mass shooting.

Deaths reported: 42. Casualties: 6.

What came before

Part of: Boko Haram insurgency.

Background Boko Haram was founded in 2002 to seek the establishment of an Islamic state and fight against the Westernization of Nigeria, which the group says is the root cause of criminal behaviour in that country . [ 1 ] From 2009 to 2013, violence linked to the Boko Haram insurgency resulted in 3,600 deaths, the victims including 1,600 civilians. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] In mid-May 2013, Nigeria declared a state of emergency in Adamawa , Borno , and Yobe States aiming to end the Boko Haram insurgency.

What happened

Attack Before dawn on 6 July 2013, gunmen attacked a secondary school in Mamudo, Yobe State, northeastern Nigeria , where they killed at least 42 people. [ 1 ] A local eyewitness described the situation: "It was a gory sight...There were 42 bodies; most of them were students. Some of them had parts of their bodies blown off and badly burnt while others had gunshot wounds." [ 2 ] Most of the dead were students, with a few staff members and a teacher also killed. [ 2 ] [ 1 ]

Reactions On 7 July, Yobe State governor Ibrahim Gaidam called the attackers cold-blooded murderers and "devoid of any shred of humanity". He ordered all secondary schools in the state to close until September, the start of the new academic year. He also requested that the national government end the mobile phone blackout in the state, saying the lack of mobile service prevented citizens from alerting authorities of suspicious people in the area prior to the attack. [ 1 ]

On 6 July 2013, Boko Haram insurgents attacked the Government Secondary School in the village of Mamudo in Yobe State, Nigeria and killed at least 42 people. Most of the victims were students, although some staff members were also killed.