Boko Haram Islamists Slaughter More than 100 Villagers in Nigeria

At least 100 people have been slaughtered by Islamist extremists belonging to the Boko Haram outfit at a village in north-eastern Nigeria.

The militants sprayed bullets and burned down dozens of houses in separate attacks in Baga and Izge, predominantly Christian villages, located on the border with Cameroon.

Explosions were also reported in the attack, which lasted for about five hours. Nearly 100 militants in army uniform, armed with sophisticated weapons reportedly carried out the attack.

According to eye-witness reports, the Islamist gunmen went door-to-door to flush out the residents to shoot them after herding them at a common place. Those who tried to flee were shot dead while others had their throats slit by the insurgents, who were chanting "Allah is great," suggest local reports.

"So far, from information I have received from Izge, 106 people, including an old woman, have been killed by the attackers, suspected to be Boko Haram gunmen," local government official Ali Ndume told AFP.

While many dead bodies are said to be lying in the streets in fear of further attacks, funeral rites for some of victims have been performed in the nearby town of Madagali.

Many others remain missing in the village.

"I thank God for sparing my life yesterday, because I thought my days in this world was over when we started hearing sounds of gunshots and explosions all over Izge in the night. God really had mercy on me. We ran into the bush without being hurt by the insurgents, although, I lost all my belongings," a survivor told Nigeria's Vanguard.

The latest attack came hours after President Goodluck Jonathan criticised the militant outfit for contributing to the negative image of Nigeria. He was speaking at the Redeemed Christian Church of God on Banana Island and thanked people from all faiths for their prayers.

Boko Haram, which frequently carries out indiscriminate attacks, intends to create an Islamic state in Nigeria's southern regions, which is dominated by Muslims. The oil-rich southern Nigeria is largely populated by the Christian community.