Panic as Boko Haram threatens to bomb University of Ibadan

There is panic at the University of Ibadan following the circulation ‎of a letter purportedly written to all staff by the Boko Haram group threatening carryout ceaseless bombings at the institution. Boko Haram terrorists have allegedly sent a bomb threat to the University of Ibadan for being the first university in the country that brought in and entrenched western education to Nigeria. According to the circulation, on Friday afternoon, September 23, the terrorist threatened to wreck monumental havoc through ceaseless bombings of the institution, beginning from Saturday, September 24. This Day reports that the institution was threatened by the terrorist for being the first university in the country that brought in and entrenched western education in Nigeria. The threat has thrown the university in a state of confusion as both teaching and non-teaching staff were in panic mood as they discussed the messages which was now widely circulated within the university community. It was gathered that while some lecturers got the mail through their institutional e-mail addresses, others were copied through social platforms such as WhatsApp. In the bomb threat which was contained in an alleged mail to the institution, the group “al-wilayat al-Islamiyya Gharb Afriqiyyah” described University of Ibadan as an embarrassment to Nigeria for bringing western education. While saying that UI doomed the nation, the purported letter threatened to begin detonation on the campus adding that most staff and students were going to die before independence day. Part of the statement read:“You people are an embarrassment to Nigeria and are the people that brought in western education to Nigeria. You doomed this nation and in turn you all are going to be doomed. “Most of you are going to die before Independence day. You will not spend the independence day in peace, you and your students. Detonation will start from tomorrow till independence day and there is nothing you can do as we are among you. Even your little searches at the gate won’t do anything. By the time we are through with you, your government will be sorry.” Following the bomb threat, security has been strengthened at the university gates with scanning and ‘stop and search’ operation being carried out leading to many resuming work very late as they spent more than an hour at the gate while traffic snarl was witnessed owing to the security screening. While the institution is yet to comment on the threat, some have suggested that the 2017 global ranking of universities released by the Times Higher Educationwhich placed the University of Ibadan in Oyo state at number 801 among the best 978 in the world may have triggered the threat by Boko Haram on the institution. See news photos here http://worldathand.heck.in/panic-as-boko-haram-threatens-to-bomb-un.xhtml