High schools in Nigeria’s Borno state closed fearing attacks by Islamic extremists

MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA --  Nigeria's Borno state government is closing all high schools indefinitely amid fears of massive attacks by Islamic extremists, officials and teachers said Tuesday, confirming a move that may be considered a victory for the Islamic extremist Boko Haram terrorist network, whose nickname means "Western education is forbidden."

They said some 85 schools will be closed, affecting nearly 120,000 students in an area that has the country's worst literacy rates.

                           

The closures come amid growing anger at the military's failure to suppress an Islamic uprising in northeast Nigeria, despite a massive deployment of troops and a 10-month-old state of emergency.

                           

The United Nations estimates that the Islamic uprising has forced some 300,000 people to leave their homes since 2010 in northeast Nigeria, most displaced within the country and some across borders in Chad, Cameroon and Niger.

The Associated Press