BOKO HARAM, BOMBED ISLAMIC SCHOOL IN KANO

Islamiyya primary school was attacked with an explosives in Kano on Wednesday evening, demolishing some classrooms, in the first such incident affecting an Islamic institution since wave of attacks gripped parts of the North.

Another public primary school was also hit same night by unknown gunmen.

The newly-built Islamiyya school at Farawa was attacked around sunset when Muslims were preparing for the Maghrib prayers, residents said.

They said they heard loud blasts from within the school premises, followed by gunfire, sparking chaos as people run back into their homes.

“We heard the sound of three powerful blasts which were followed by gunshots as people were heading for the mosques,” a resident said, asking not to be named.

“Later in the evening we learnt that it was the newly-constructed Islamiyya school which was about to be commissioned by the state government that was attacked.”

The blasts left gaping holes in the classroom buildings and tore off part of the green roofing which has the ‘Kwankwasiyya’ inscription emblazoned on it in white colour.

Frontage and back sides of at least three classrooms in the one-storey building were heavily damaged.

But it seemed the explosions did not ignite fires.

Kano has seen sporadic gun and bomb attacks since the January 20 major strike blamed on the Boko Haram sect, mainly targeting security personnel and institutions. The Bayero University was also attacked last month.

Residents of Farawa area said Wednesday’s Islamiyya school attack was strange because the sect blamed for previous attacks claims to be propagating wider application of Islamic law.