The Cameroonian government says that terrorism threatens large numbers of schoolchildren. Two bomb attacks killed nine people last month in the town of Kolofata, near the border with Nigeria. At the same time, millions of children returned to school after a three-month holiday. Cameroon has been working to make its school campuses safer. One of the most dangerous areas :is along the border with Nigeria. Many families want to leave the dangerous border areas. (23） Sixteen-year-old Ahmidou Moussa was not able to return to school on time because of the threat of suicide bombings. His school is in the town of Mora, on the border with Nigeria. He says he was not really worried during the holiday because his parents took him far away from the dangerous border zone to a safer area.
Valentine Tameh is the president of the Teachers Association of Cameroon. He says many teachers are refusing to teach in areas along the border with Nigeria. He says he has told teachers to continue to work even in the border area.
Ndzi Amos Tarla is a police spokesperson. He has talked with students, teachers and parents about keeping young schoolchildren safe. He says if the population works with officials, terrorists will find it more difficult to carry out attacks. He warns that children should not trust strangers because they might be kidnappers, (24） and that parents should walk to school with their young children. He also says that children must be taught how to act around strangers.
(25） Dualla is the economic capital of Cameroon. There school staff members search students and their bags with metal detectors before they can enter the school. Officials say they are doing all they can to avoid future attacks.Suzanne Ngumey's children go to school in Dualla. She says she agrees with the new security measures. "This is just to protect our children because we want their safety in school," she said.
Last year, Cameroon closed 70 schools on its northern border with Nigeria's Boron state. More than 100,000 students were relocated to new schools.
Why couldn't Ahmidou Moussa return to school on time?