Nigerian troops patrol the streets of the town of Baga in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno. (File photo)
At least 42 people have been killed and dozens more injured after extremist militants attacked a boarding school in the Western African country.
Survivors say gunmen launched a pre-dawn attack on a secondary school in Mamudo village, near the city of Potiskum, in the northeast of the country.
The causalities come after unidentified gunmen gathered their victims in a hostel and threw explosives and opened fire.
Local health officials say they have received more than forty dead bodies following the deadly attack.
“We received 42 dead bodies of students and other staff of government secondary school (in) Mamudo last night. Some of them had gunshot wounds while many of them had burns and ruptured tissues,” said Haliru Aliyu of Potiskum General Hospital.
Medical sources said the death toll is expected to rise as some of the injured are reported to be in critical condition
Some of the students were burnt alive as the assailants set the school on fire.
The survivors say dozens of children who escaped into the bush remain missing.
No group has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.
JR/SS
Republished with permission from: Press TV