The attacks are usually blamed on the militant group Boko Haram. It is believed responsible for thousands of deaths since 2009. The group says it wants to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. It calls itself “The People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet’s Teachings and Jihad.” But it is better known by the name Boko Haram, meaning “Western education is a sin.”

In May, the Nigerian government declared emergency rule in much of northeastern Nigeria. It deployed thousands of troops to fight Boko Haram. The military usually reports success in battle. But attacks on schools continue.

Gunmen recently killed more than 40 people in student housing in the Nigerian state of Yobe. The attack took place not far from a secondary school where almost 30 students were killed in July.

Amnesty International’s Makmid Kamara says the government is not doing enough to stop it.

“The Nigerian government has a duty and a responsibility to prevent these attacks by taking lawful and effective measures and we think those who are responsible should be held to account.”

He says suspected Boko Haram members are also known to frighten teachers by standing with weapons outside classrooms.

Amnesty says as many as 80 percent of the students in northern Nigeria have stopped attending classes. More than 1,000 teachers have fled the area as gunmen warn parents to send their children only to Islamic schools.