Boko Haram kill 56 villagers

Islamic extremist group Boko Haram killed 56 villagers in a remote area of Nigeria, the governor of Borno State said today.

It comes as the government warned that the extremists are trying to extend their violent campaign.

Kashim Shettima confirmed the attack in Baanu village during a meeting with the parents of the 219 girls abducted from a school in the region by the extremists last year.

Thursday marked 500 days of captivity of the girls from a school in Chibok.

Fleeing residents of Baanu village said they were attacked by Boko Haram on Friday night.

“We returned back to the village in the morning after spending the night in the bush, we saw corpses in the streets of the village,” said farmer Mustapha Alibe.

Boko Haram’s six-year-old uprising has left an estimated 20,000 people dead.