LAGOS
Scores of people were killed Saturday when suspected Boko Haram militants raided two villages in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State.
Over 20 militants raided the villages of Koronginim and Ntsiha near Chibok, where scores of schoolgirls were kidnapped in April.
"[Attackers] were over 20, came to Koronginim in two vehicles painted in army color and they all carried different guns," Bulus Musa, a resident of Koronginim, told Anadolu Agency.
The militants opened fire as soon as they arrived at the village at 7am, Musa said.
"People were fleeing into the nearby bushes when they saw the attackers but they were being pursued even into the bush," he said.
According to Musa, the militants razed down the village and burnt all livestock.
"The insurgents surrounded the village. They attacked the village till about 12pm. We lost many people. They killed my childhood friend and my uncle. I fled the house, leaving only my mother," he said.
Scores of people were admitted to Chibok General Hospital, a hospital source confirmed to AA.
Stephen Yohana, a Chibok resident, said his relations were among the victims.
"Some of our relations at Koronginim and Ntsiha have been killed by Boko Haram today," he told AA by phone.
Attacks on villages in the southern part of Borno by Boko Haram insurgents have been on increase in recent weeks.
The insurgents raided five villages in the neighboring communities of Adamawa State on Friday, killing at least ten people.
Nigeria has been hit by attacks in recent years by the militant Boko Haram group, which first emerged in the early 2000s preaching against government misrule and corruption.
In the five years since, the shadowy sect has been blamed for numerous attacks – on places of worship and government institutions – and thousands of deaths.
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