A number of suspected Islamist gunmen have suddenly attacked a school in Nigeria, murdering about 50 students in the process.

Many casualties were reportedly shot dead while they were merely sleeping inside their dormitories in the College of Agriculture in the Yobe state.

The Boko Haram, an Islamist Group, was pegged to be the perpetrators of the attack. Currently, North-Eastern Nigeria has been placed under a state of emergency.

The Boko Haram group wants to make an Islamist state in Nigeria. To overthrow the government, they have launched a series of attacks on different schools.

Reports of casualties from the attach have been varied, but local officials have averaged the number to 50. About 2 vanloads of dead bodies have been taken to a nearby hospital in Damaturu to be identified. Most of those who have been killed are young men, former students of the university.

As of this time, security forces are still trying to recover more bodies. It is suspected that around a thousand students fled the school shortly after the attack occurred.

Besides killing students, gunmen also burned a number of classrooms of the college. The college is located in the Gujba district.

The Boko Haram sees schools are a symbol of the Western culture and Influence. The group's name is roughly translated as "Western Education is forbidden". This is why the Islamist group primarily targets schools.

The Boko Haram have also been responsible for attacking a school in Maidiguri, where they killed 9 children. About 13 teachers and students also died when the group attacked another school in Damaturu.

Abubakar Shekau is recognized as the Boko Haram's leader. There were reports in August that he had been killed in a shoot-out with the Nigerian military. However, a video was released last week that supposedly shows the leader alive.