Up to 150 drowned, shot fleeing Boko Haram ambush in Nigeria

Up to 150 people were drowned in a river or shot dead fleeing Boko Haram gunmen who raided a remote village in Nigeria's northeastern Yobe state, locals said on Tuesday.

"Boko Haram gunmen attacked our village on Thursday which led to the deaths of around 150 people. Most of the victims died in the river while trying to escape," Kukuwa-Gari resident Bukar Tijjani told AFP.

News of the attack took five days to emerge because the militants have destroyed telecommunications masts around the village, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Yobe State capital Damaturu, since the insurgency began in 2009.