University builds trench to stop Boko Haram attacks

Authorities in north-eastern Nigeria have begun digging a 27km trench around the University of Maiduguri to prevent attacks by Boko Haram Islamist militants, reports the BBC.

Boko Haram, who want an Islamic state, loosely translates from Hausa as "Western education is forbidden". Three suicide bombers last weekend attacked the university killing themselves and a security guard. There has been a dramatic upsurge in violence in Maiduguri in recent months.

The trenches are designed to make it impossible for the militants to drive into the university as well as making it harder for them to access the campus on foot. Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima is financing the trench and has asked the Nigerian government for money to fund a permanent barrier. Shettima is also releasing money to pay allowances to guards drawn from local vigilante groups, who are working with the police to patrol the area.
Full report on the BBC site