College claims Islamic militants kill 50 students in Nigeria

Suspected Islamic militants gunned down students as they slept and killed as many as 50 in an early-morning attack in north-east Nigeria, a college provost said.

Molima Idi Mato, of the Yobe state College of Agriculture, told The Associated Press that the gunmen also torched classrooms in the attack at about 1am tthis morning in rural Gujba.

The college is about 25 miles from the scene of similar school attacks around Damaturu town.

He said security forces are still recovering bodies so he could not give an exact death toll. He said about 1,000 students have fled.

North-east Nigeria is in a military state of emergency against an Islamic uprising prosecuted by Boko Haram militants who have killed hundreds of civilians in their quest for an Islamic state.