Nigeria village attack 'kill 17'

Africa May - 21 - 2014 , 09:46

The Islamist group Boko Haram is accused of killing 17 people in an attack on a village in north-east Nigeria, close to where hundreds of schoolgirls were seized.

It comes a day after 118 people died in a twin bomb attack in the central city of Jos, also blamed on Boko Haram.

In the latest attack, Boko Haram fighters reportedly spent hours killing and looting in the village of Alagarno.

Alagarno is near Chibok, from where the schoolgirls were abducted last month.

The abductions caused international outrage and have put pressure on the Nigerian authorities to deal with the threat from Boko Haram.

People in north-east Nigeria are extremely vulnerable to attacks because many areas are no go zones for the military and the insurgents operate freely, the BBC's Will Ross reports from the country.

Witnesses in Alagarno said the suspected Boko Haram fighters arrived close to midnight, and killed and looted for hours before leaving in stolen vehicles.

One survivor told the BBC that every single building in the village had been torched.