At least nine students in Maiduguri, Nigeria, were killed Monday when suspected Islamic militants opened fire on them while they were taking exams.

Ibrahim Mohammed was also taking exams at Ansarudeen Private School when gunmen raided the building. “I saw five students sitting the exams killed on the spot. Four others were killed as they were entering the school premises," he said, according to BBC.

The gunmen were identified as part of Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege," said that the attack was to punish the children for assisting the army, reported BBC.

This attack marks the second targeted offense by the suspected extremists in the volatile region in recent days. The Nigerian military reported that 13 people were killed by the radical fighters on Sunday night during a five-hour onslaught on a boarding school in Damaturu. Since 2010 Islamic militants in the region have killed more than 1,600 civilians, according to an AP count.

Last month Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan imposed a state of emergency on Northeast Nigeria and additional troops have been sent in to continue the fight against the Islamist militants.

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(Photo: REUTERS/Joe Brock)