At least eight people were killed and scores others injured in a daylight attack by suspected Boko Haram fighters in northeastern Nigeria's state of Borno, the epicenter of violence in Africa's most populous country, residents and other sources said on Thursday.
The insurgents invaded Gwoza Town, a Nigerian border community located 135 km from Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, shooting sporadically at defenseless residents, a military source told Xinhua.
Jonas Mark, a resident who survived the attack, described the experience as horrifying. He said most residents were still asleep when the attackers struck on Wednesday.
"They also attacked a police station in the area," he added.
According to Mark, the attackers razed two churches, torched the local government secretariat, shops and houses, and fled the town before the intervention of security operatives.
Consequently, most residents had fled the area for fear of more attacks, he said.
The Boko Haram sect, which proves to be a major security threat in Nigeria, had attacked more than 10 communities in Gwoza, which shares border with Cameroon.
Local security sources said the area had been cordoned off, although no official statement had been issued to that effect as of the time of filing this report.