At least six young vigilantes were killed as gunmen suspected to be members of Boko Haram insurgent group attacked a northeastern Nigerian village, media reports said.
Four gunmen carried out the attack in Damasak Monday, a town sharing the border with Niger and 187 km from Maiduguri that is the capital of Borno state and birthplace of the Boko Haram, Xinhua cited Nigerian online newspaper Daily Post as saying Tuesday.
An eye witness told Daily Post that the victims, mostly traders from Maiduguri, were shot dead after midnight at a house.
The victims, aged 20 to 36, were members of the vigilante group Civilian Joint Task Force, which has confirmed the deaths.
The attack also came less than two days after at least 14 youth vigilantes were killed by suspected members of Boko Haram in the neighbouring town of Bama, 87 km from Maiduguri.
The pro-government vigilante groups in Borno state are run by youth volunteers and have been assisting the military in capturing Boko Haram insurgents in their neighbourhoods since 2009.
