At least eight people were
killed outside a church in a
suspected Boko Haram attack
carried out by gunmen on
bicycles in northeast Nigeria.
The attack happened shortly
after morning service on
Sunday in the Kwamjilari
village, about 30 kilometres
(19 miles) east of the town of
Chibok, in Borno state.
"Some of the worshippers
remained around the church
and the gunmen opened fire
and eight men died," said
Luka Damina, from nearby
Kautikeri village, where
locals fled.
"Unknown to the residents,
the gunmen had stationed
some of their comrades on
the road leading out of the
village and they shot anyone
who tried to flee.
"Many people ran into the
bush with gunshot wounds.
But so far we can only
confirm eight deaths."
The attackers set fire to
homes and fields of maize
that were almost ready for
harvest, according to a local
chief in Kautikeri, who also
said eight people were killed.
The chief said soldiers were
later deployed to Kwamjilari
from Chibok, the scene of a
notorious kidnapping in 2014
when more than 200
schoolgirls were seized.
Read more here: Where are
our girls? Remembering
Nigeria's abducted
schoolgirls
A similar attack in the area
last month left 10 people
dead and saw 13 others
kidnapped, while homes were
looted and set on fire.
Both raids bear the
hallmarks of Boko Haram
Islamists, who have
frequently attacked villages,
churches and mosques
across northeast Nigeria and
beyond since 2009.
Nigeria's military maintains it
now has the upper hand
against the insurgents in a
conflict that has left at least
20,000 dead and made more
than 2.6 million people
homeless. But such sporadic
attacks underline the
continuing difficulty in
securing remote rural areas.