Boko Haram attack kills six in Nigeria: Government

Kano: A group of Boko Haram gunmen killed six people in northeast Nigeria on Wednesday, a government spokesman said, as the country works to ramp up its fight against the jihadists.

The militants stormed Mildu village near the town of Madagali in the far north of Adamawa state, which has been repeatedly targeted by the Islamists.

"The Boko Haram gunmen killed six people and injured three in the attack on the village around 2:00 am (0100GMT)," Adamawa state information commissioner Ahmad Sajo told AFP. 
"The attackers came in large numbers and the security personnel in the area aided by reinforcements engaged them in gunfight," Sajo said.

Boko Haram jihadists set "several homes and shops" on fire, forcing residents to flee, he said.

Madagali has been repeatedly attacked by Boko Haram fighters from their Sambisa forest enclave.

Sambisa forest, a former national park, lies just across the border in neighbouring Borno state, the epicentre of the eight-year conflict.

Earlier this year, the Nigerian military said it had retaken control of the forest, but there are reports the militants have moved back in. 

Boko Haram fighters are also known to have been holed up near Madagali in the Mandara mountains, which separate northeast Nigeria and Cameroon.

Nigeria`s military has been ordered to strengthen its response to Boko Haram after 69 people were killed in a July ambush, the government said on Sunday.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo held emergency talks with military top brass after Boko Haram ambushed an oil exploration team in Borno. 

Nigeria`s military has long maintained that Boko Haram, which in 2014 held swathes of territory across northeast Nigeria, is all but defeated as a result of its sustained counter-insurgency.
But Osinbajo acknowledged that "pockets of terrorists have been launching attacks recently in Borno state".