Gunmen stormed into the College of Agriculture in the morning in Gujba, 50 km south of Damaturu, the state capital, spraying bullets on students. A military source said they have collected at least 40 bodies of students, mostly ages 18 to 22.
Speculations are running high about a higher toll as many others suffered injuries and taken to hospital for treatment.
“Several dead bodies have been recovered from bushes, classrooms and hostels, within and outside the school premises,” the source told a Xinhua reporter.
More corpses are still being recovered as rescuers have begun to comb the area for other dead or injured victims, the source added.
Abdullahi Garba, a student of the college, recounted his experience, saying the gunmen shot sporadically.
“Surviving students are at the moment fleeing the school premises. We really want to reunite with our families right now,” he said.
Most of the students have fears for more attacks by the gunmen, he noted.
Security agencies were yet to confirm the attack or the number of casualties.
On July 6, at least 29 pupils and a teacher were killed by suspected Boko Haram members in a pre-dawn attack on a school in Yobe State.
Yobe State, in the volatile northeastern region of Nigeria, is one of three states where President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in May, sending thousands of troops to the area.
The Boko Haram sect seeks to enshrine the Islamic sharia law into the constitution and declares war against Western education.
