KANO, Nigeria (AFP) — Gunmen massacred at least 26 people in a student housing area of northeast Nigeria on Tuesday, calling victims out by name before shooting them or slitting their throats, officials said.

The attack occurred in the early hours in the town of Mubi, where the military last week carried out a high-profile raid against Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, which has been waging a deadly insurgency.

Some officials however suggested the massacre may have been linked to a recent student election.

According to a police spokesman, the attackers knew their victims and called them out by name in an off-campus area near a polytechnic school where students live.

The police spokesman, Mohammed Ibrahim, put the death toll at 25, including 19 students from the polytechnic, three students from a health technology school, two security guards and a retired soldier.

A relief official speaking on condition of anonymity said 26 people had been confirmed dead and 15 were wounded and taken to hospital. The military had taken over the area.

“The attackers knew their targets,” Ibrahim told AFP.

“They were calling out names of their targets in each house they entered, and once the target identified himself, he would be shot dead. We strongly suspect an inside operation.”

He added that some victims’ throats were slit.

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