KANO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen shot dead two Chadians in the remote northeast of Nigeria on Sunday, in a region where a radical Islamist sect has been blamed for almost daily violence in recent months.

"Two Chadians were killed by gunmen this morning in the outskirts of the state capital, we have taken their bodies to the mortuary," said Lawan Tanko, police chief in Yobe state.

Damaturu, the capital of Yobe, was the scene of fierce gunbattle between the military and Boko Haram on December 24, when more than 50 people were killed, mostly sect members.

President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in several regions in Nigeria on December 31, closing Nigeria's borders with Niger, Cameroon and Chad.

Boko Haram wants sharia law more widely applied across Nigeria, which is roughly split equally between Christians and Muslims.