Roundup: Nigeria says not to close university despite terrorist attack

Nigeria will not order shutdown of the University of Maiduguri which was attacked by suicide bombers in the capital of northeastern state of Borno early Monday, an official said.

Vice Chancellor of the university Abubakar Njodi told reporters in Maiduguri that authorities will not be cowered to take such decision, particularly as students are currently sitting for their examination.

"I can convince the senate, the management and the university community to close the school to save lives. But if we do that, we are not helping because we have to give the security our maximum support and our support is not to join them in the battle field," Njodi said.

According to him, to order the closure of the school and run away would give the terrorists the impression that they had won the war they declared on Western education.

"If we stay, the terrorists will be frustrated because that is their aim. We should stand our ground, so that the military will be proud that the people they are fighting for are on ground. Therefore, our decision is not to close the university," he said.

The vice chancellor urged the deployment of more troops to beef up security within the premises, saying the school will be open Tuesday, and every other day in the academic calendar, for examination and curricular activities.

At least five people were killed and more than 15 injured when two suicide bombers attacked the school early Monday.

A seven-year old boy detonated his improvised explosive device at a mosque located inside the Senior Staff Quarters in the university premises. The explosive device of the first suicide attacker went off when he was gunned down by a mobile police officer on duty who sighted him while trying to scale the fence at one of the gates of the university.

A professor who was director of veterinary at the university was among the five people killed in the attack. Corpses of four students were also evacuated at the explosion site, said Satomi Ahmed, a coordinator of the Borno State Emergency Management Agency.

Earlier, while condemning the attack, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said it was appalling for anyone to carry out a despicable act of terrorism on a revered place of worship and ivory tower.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, terror group Boko Haram, which has killed more than 20,000 and displaced 2.3 million people since the current insurgency started in 2009, is believed to be responsible for the suicide attacks.

Nigeria has made considerable gain on the Boko Haram front, with its security forces operating in the restive region dislodging the Boko Haram fighters from the Sambisa Forest, their last enclave in the country. Endit