Nigerian officials say gunmen opened fire at a student housing area in the northeast Tuesday, killing at least 10 people.

The attack took place at Federal Polytechnic college in the town of Mubi, in Adamawa state.

A spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Yushau Shuaib, says the final casualty toll was not immediately clear.

The radical Islamist group known as Boko Haram has carried out many attacks in northeastern Nigeria. But authorities say the motive behind Tuesday's attack is not known.

Security officials say student elections were being held at the college, and officials are investigating the possibility the shooting stemmed from election rivalries.