Nigeria Boko Haram Insurgency: 54 Dead in Chibok Church Attacks

The death toll for the suspected Boko Haram attacks near the village of Chibok is now over 50, according to Nigerian officials.

"So far we have 54 dead," said an official, speaking on condition of anonymity, about the attacks which targeted three villages surrounding Chibok.

A local leader in the village of Chibok said residents had recovered at least 47 bodies from the surrounding area but that the search was ongoing.

Gunmen stormed a number of churches near the scene of the kidnap of over 200 schoolgirls in April. It is believed that the attacks targeted Christians attending early-morning Sunday Service.

"The attackers went to churches with bombs and guns," Timothy James, a Chibok resident told AFP.

"From what I gathered, dozens of worshippers, including men, women and children were killed."

Last week, an explosion at a brothel in Bauchi, north-east Nigeria, killed 10 people and wounded 14 others while 21 people were killed and 17 injured in a blast at a shopping centre in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

Thre states - Borno, Yobe and Adamawa - have been under a state of emergency since May last year as the group's insurgency continues to blight the country's northern regions.