Yola, Nigeria - Soldiers abandoned checkpoints and fled into the bush, leaving five villages and a town at the mercy of Islamic extremists who killed at least 33 people and firebombed a theological college in overnight attacks in northeast Nigeria that lasted hours, survivors said Thursday. On Tuesday, extremists killed 59 students when they struck a school in Yobe state, hours after soldiers were inexplicably withdrawn from a roadblock set up to protect the institution. The recent string of assaults in an Islamic uprising gripping the northeast of Africa's biggest oil producer comes amid widespread criticism of military failures despite a 9-month-old state of emergency. #8220;It is curious...