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Nigeria school raid in Yobe state 'leaves dozens dead' Nigeria school raid in Yobe state leaves 29 dead
(35 minutes later)
Suspected Islamist militants from the Boko Haram group in north-eastern Nigeria have attacked a school and shot some students, the military has said. At least 29 students have been killed after suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a boarding school in north-east Nigeria.
Dozens of pupils are reported to have been killed. Police told Reuters that all the dead were boys and that some of the bodies "were burned to ashes". The BBC's Will Ross in Lagos says the remote school in Yobe state was attacked overnight when students were in their dormitories.
The attack took place in troubled Yobe state, the military said. All the victims were teenage boys and 11 others were seriously injured. Most of the school was burned to the ground.
Residents of the town of Buni Yadi said the attackers struck at night, slitting the throats of some students. Islamist militants have attacked dozens of schools in north-east Nigeria.
They said that others were shot. Last September, 40 students were killed at an agricultural college during another night-time raid.
Teachers at the remote Federal Government College boarding school in Buni Yadi told the AP news agency that as many as 40 students had been killed in the assault which began early on Tuesday morning. Teachers at the school in Buni Yadi said the gunmen gathered the female students together before telling them to go away and get married and to abandon their education.
Hospital sources in Yobe told the BBC 29 corpses had been brought in following the attack. The name Boko Haram means Western education is sin.
The BBC's Isa Sanusi, from the Hausa service, says Boko Haram tends to attack schools that teach Nigeria's national curriculum which the militants consider to be Western. The group says it aims is to replace Nigeria's political leadership and establish a new state under strict Islamic law.
The group follows an extremely strict version of Islam and its name means "Western education is sinful" in the northern Hausa language, he says. Nigeria's military said on Tuesday it was pursuing the attackers.
Earlier this month the militants claimed responsibility for killing a prominent northern Nigerian Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Awwal Albani, because he said the group's actions were un-Islamic. "We assure all law-abiding citizens that we will continue to do what is necessary to protect lives and property," a statement said.
'Pursuit of the killers' President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the killings, calling them "heinous, brutal and mindless".
The military has confirmed that an attack took place on "student hostels" but says it cannot yet give further details. Our correspondent says Nigeria's armed forces are facing increasing criticism for failing to protect civilians or to respond to raids by the militants.
Survivors told the BBC the attackers spared the lives of female students, ordering them to abandon their studies and to go home and get married. Yobe state Governor Ibrahim Gaidam said more troops were needed to contain the militants.
"Details are still sketchy due to lack of telephone access, and it is still not clear how many students were affected in the attack," Yobe military spokesman Lazarus Eli told the AFP news agency. "It is unfortunate that up to five hours when this massacre took place, there were no security agents around to stop or contain the situation," he said in a statement.
"Our men are down there in pursuit of the killers," he said. "I have also been informed that the military here in Yobe state lack adequate number of troops on the ground."
Boko Haram has frequently attacked schools in the past. This year close to 300 people have been killed in large-scale Boko Haram attacks.
Scores of people were killed in two attacks last week. In one incident, militants destroyed a whole village and shot terrified residents as they tried to escape. The BBC's Isa Sanusi, from the Hausa service, says Boko Haram tends to attack schools that teach Nigeria's national curriculum, which the militants consider to be Western.
The failure of the army to destroy the militants has fuelled anger in the north-east, correspondents say. Earlier this month, militants claimed responsibility for killing a prominent northern Nigerian Islamic scholar, Sheikh Mohammed Awwal Albani, because he said the group's actions were un-Islamic.
Thousands of people have been killed since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its campaign to install Islamic law.Thousands of people have been killed since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its campaign to install Islamic law.
Tuesday's attack in Yobe is close to where suspected Boko Haram fighters killed more than 40 students last September. The latest offensive, ordered by President Jonathan in May, has been blamed for triggering reprisals by militants against civilians.
The latest offensive ordered by President Goodluck Jonathan in May has been blamed for triggering reprisals by militants against civilians.
Addressing a news conference on Monday, the president defended the army's record, saying it had achieved some successes against Boko Haram and that the militants had been contained to a small area of north-east Nigeria close to the border with Cameroon.Addressing a news conference on Monday, the president defended the army's record, saying it had achieved some successes against Boko Haram and that the militants had been contained to a small area of north-east Nigeria close to the border with Cameroon.
He said that Nigeria was working with Cameroon to stop the militants from staging attacks in Nigeria and then escaping over the border. He said the two countries were working together to stop the militants from staging attacks in Nigeria and then escaping over the border.
The BBC's Will Ross in Nigeria says that Yobe has been relatively peaceful this year, unlike neighbouring Borno state where at least 250 people have been killed in a series of large scale attacks by the militants. Correspondents say Yobe has been relatively peaceful this year, unlike neighbouring Borno state, where at least 250 people have been killed in a series of large scale attacks by the militants.
Our correspondent says that the latest killings show the scale of the task the military still faces.