25 students and security guards shot dead in Nigeria

Nigerian police said that 25 people were killed by gunmen, who remain unidentified, in Mubi, north-eastern Nigeria.

Attackers allegedly called out the names of 22 students from the Federal Polytechnic Mubi campus prior to shooting them.

Two security guards and an elderly resident were the remaining three persons killed. A local resident said that at least 40 people had either been shot dead or stabbed.

The motive behind the killings remain debatable as it comes days after a major operation against the Boko Haram militant group in Mubi but some believe it may be linked to disputes over student union elections.

However, Adamawa state police said the attackers had inside knowledge since they knew the victims by name.

Some of the victims were shot dead while others were stabbed and left in lines outside the campus residence buildings.

A BBC Nigeria correspondent said that while student election rivalries have previously turned violent, the severity has never reached this level.

The university has been temporarily closed and an indefinite curfew has been imposed by authorities in the town.