Fifty students were killed in Potiskum, Nigeria after a suicide bomber from the militant Islamic group, Boko Haram, targeted the Government Technical Science College. It was clear that he had ill intentions, planning to take as many students as he could with him. He entered the building in a school uniform with the bomb hidden in his rucksack. Students claimed to have heard a thunderous noise at exactly 7:50 am [Hayden, 2014].

Boko Haram, the group deemed responsible for the attack, frequently targets schools and students within African countries. They believe that Western education is sinful. They are trying to create a new Islamic state.  They carry out destructive terrorist attacks like shootings, the kidnapping of more than 200 girls and now the suicide bombing of a school.  So far, they have successfully gained control of twenty-four cities in the past few months [Vice, 2014]. Their goal is to enforce stricter Sharia laws (the religious laws of Islam) in Africa. In response to their attacks, the UK, France, China and the US have sent military to eradicate the group’s influence in Africa.

When asked about the situation and how it should be dealt with, David Yang, a senior at Millennium Brooklyn High School, conveyed that he didn’t understand their purpose, and that there are no valid reasons to kill children in mass. He also believes that the criminal group should face proper consequences. He strongly disagrees with their ways of communicating their message and thinks that they will continue to spread terror.

After reading the article from BBC News, an anonymous senior stated the attack to be “upsetting,” and even speculated it to have some connection to the young girls that were abducted previously. The senior also touched upon the topic of education in Africa, stating that this “should not stop” North Africans from pursuing an education. In regards to the Ebola issue within Africa, the senior stated that it is of great importance to focus on other issues in Africa other than Ebola, yet these issues should not take away from the threat that Ebola poses to the world.

The threat that Boko Haram imposes on students makes it questionable whether parents should risk sending their children to school. It is essential that we approach people like those in Boko Haram by fighting ignorance with education. Although issues like the Ebola virus affecting Africa are of primary concern, American media should do their best to cover all newsworthy events pertaining to specific countries.