Islamic extremists suspected of killing at least 44 Nigerian students

Early Sunday, a group of militants drove onto the campus of Yobe State College of Agriculture in Potiskum, Nigeria, and opened fire on student dormitories and torched classrooms. The attack killed at least 44 students and injured 16, most of whom were Muslim, according to an AP report.

The school, which has approximately 1,000 students, had no security forces protecting the campus. It was one of the few schools that had remained open in areas under a now 4 1/2-month state of emergency in Nigeria.

The attack was blamed on the Boko Haram extremist group, which wants to end democracy and impose “Islamic law” throughout Nigeria. Boko Haram translates to “Western education is forbidden” or “Western education is sinful.” Their group has killed more than 1,700 since 2010.

Nigeria has a population of 160 million with equal number of its citizens Muslim and Christian.