Boko Haram gunmen open fire in Nigeria college dorm: Military

Boko Haram gunmen on Sunday stormed a college dormitory in Nigeria’s conflict-scarred northeast, firing on students as they slept, the military told AFP, in the latest such attack blamed on the Islamist insurgents. The early morning assault targeted the College of Agriculture in the town of Gujba in Yobe state, area military spokesman Lazarus Eli said.

He said it was carried out by “Boko Haram terrorists who went into the school and opened fire on students,” while they were sleeping.

Security forces were at the scene but details on the number of dead and injured were not yet available, Eli added.

Gujba is roughly 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the state capital of Damaturu.

A police source, who requested anonymity, told AFP that initial reports indicated the death toll could be high but he was not prepared to discuss figures.

Yobe has seen a series of brutal attacks targeting students in recent months, all blamed on Boko Haram.

The worst occurred in July in the town of Mamudo, where the Islamists threw explosives and sprayed gunfire into dormitories, killing at least 42 people, mostly students.

The name Boko Haram means ‘Western education is forbidden’ and the group has repeatedly attacked schools, universities and colleges through its 4-year insurgency.