Boko Haram extremists killed at least seven people in a Christmas Eve assault on a village in Nigeria’s restive northeast, local sources told news agencies.
Security agencies had in recent days warned of an increased risk of attack during the Christian holiday.
Terrorists in trucks and motorcycles stormed Pemi, a predominantly Christian village in Borno state on Thursday, shooting indiscriminately” and setting buildings on fire, said Abwaku Kabu, a militia leader, according to Al Arabyia satellite Channel.
In many parts of Nigeria, communities have resorted for self-defense to armed vigilantes or militias, who work alongside the army.
“The assailants killed seven people, burnt 10 homes and looted food supplies that were meant to be distributed to residents to celebrate Christmas,” Kabu said.
A body was found on Friday morning, local community leader Ayuba Alamson said, raising the number of dead to seven.
The toll could rise as villagers fled into the bush during the attack and some people are still unaccounted for.
The terrorists, who drove from the group’s nearby Sambisa forest enclave, looted medical supplies from a hospital before setting it ablaze, the militia leader said, adding they also burnt a church and abducted a priest.
The village is located only 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Chibok, where Boko Haram kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls six years ago.
Separately on Thursday, gunmen attacked another Christian community in Garkida, in neighboring Adamawa state, looting drug stores and food supplies before torching homes, residents told AFP.
There were no reports of casualties from that attack.
Nigeria’s security agency, the Department of State Services (DSS), issued a warning on Tuesday about planned attacks.
The DSS asked Nigerians “to be extra vigilant and report strange movements,” assuring them that it is “collaborating with other sister agencies to ensure that adequate measures are put in place for the protection of lives and property.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, in a statement on Thursday, reiterated the promise of his administration to remain unyielding in confronting the Boko Haram insurgency as well as other forms of criminality.
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