Scores killed in Boko Haram attack in Nigeria

Suspected Boko Haram fighters have killed at least 60 people in Nigeria’s troubled northeastern Borno state close to the border with Cameroon, according to a local official.

“The attackers, who are no doubt Boko Haram insurgents, attacked Amchaka and nearby villages this morning, hurling IEDs [improvised explosive devices] into homes and setting them on fire,” Baba Shehu Gulumba, Bama local government administrator, told AFP news agency from Maiduguri, the state capital on Sunday.

“They then went on a shooting spree, opening fire on confused residents as they tried to flee, killing 60 people and injuring several others.”

The attackers stormed Amchaka and neighbouring villages in Bama district using trucks, motorcycles and two armoured vehicles, shooting residents and torching homes, he said.

Other local sources also confirmed the attack but did not give a death toll.

The assailants vandalised boreholes, the only water source for the villagers, Gulumba added.

The attacks have prompted a mass exodus of people from villages in the area.

Following a spate of brutal attacks on schools and universities, around 400 students in the state had boycotted university entrance exams on Saturday, officials said.