Witnesses say dozens of people are dead after suspected Boko Haram militants attacked two villages in northeastern Nigeria.
A local reporter tells VOA that more 40 people were killed and another 25 injured when assailants attacked the village of Kawori in Borno state late Sunday.
The attackers set fire to homes, a market, and places of worship in the village.
In another incident, gunmen opened fire at a church Sunday morning in Chakawa, in Adamawa state. A local journalist tells VOA that two policemen and 18 civilians were killed.
Borno and Adamawa are two of the three states where Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency last May as part of efforts to fight Boko Haram.
The Islamist militant group is blamed for thousands of deaths since launching its uprising against the government in 2009.
Mr. Jonathan replaced his chief of defense and the heads of the army, navy and air forces last week. No reason was given for the moves, but the army has struggled to stop attacks by Boko Haram.
A local reporter tells VOA that more 40 people were killed and another 25 injured when assailants attacked the village of Kawori in Borno state late Sunday.
The attackers set fire to homes, a market, and places of worship in the village.
In another incident, gunmen opened fire at a church Sunday morning in Chakawa, in Adamawa state. A local journalist tells VOA that two policemen and 18 civilians were killed.
Borno and Adamawa are two of the three states where Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency last May as part of efforts to fight Boko Haram.
The Islamist militant group is blamed for thousands of deaths since launching its uprising against the government in 2009.
Mr. Jonathan replaced his chief of defense and the heads of the army, navy and air forces last week. No reason was given for the moves, but the army has struggled to stop attacks by Boko Haram.