A professor at the University of Maiduguri and a child were killed while 17 others were wounded on Monday in a twin suicide bombing, officials said.
The blast happened on Monday at a mosque in the staff quarters area of the University of Maiduguri. It is thought to have been carried out by a teenage girl.
The Islamist group Boko Haram, which has used young women and girls as human bombs in the past, claimed responsibility for the attack in an audio recording on YouTube.
Boko Haram’s name translates roughly to “Western education is forbidden” in the Hausa language spoken widely across northern Nigeria.
Boko Haram's fighters have attacked schools across the region for teaching a so-called Western curriculum. Many schools have only recently reopened after being shut for several years.
Endangered Scholars Worldwide condemns this heinous crime and stands in solidarity with the family of victims. In recent years students, professors, and academics have been increasingly affected by violent attacks—an unacceptable trend that hurts the future of societies at large.
Universities, as symbols of freedom, empowerment, and peace are being targeted for the values they promote, which stand in strong contrast with the extremist ideology and ruthless methods of terrorist groups. Endangered Scholars Worldwide reminds readers that schools and universities must be protected from attacks, as stated in the Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict (formerly known as the Lucens Guidelines).