Boko Haram attacks on Nigerian villages, 27 killed

Maiduguri: Residents in Nigeria's northern Borno state say attacks by Boko Haram extremists on several villages in the past week have killed at least 27 people.

Modu Jialta, a member of a self-defense group with the Nganzai local council, says the Islamic extremists entered villages on Wednesday, killing at least 15 people by slitting their throats and shooting them. He says the bodies were buried yesterday.

Mai Abatcha Monguno, commander of the Guzamala local council's self-defense forces, says 12 other people were killed in attacks on villages there.

Local defense forces are asking for more government support to fight Boko Haram's insurgency, which has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced millions in the past eight years. Deadly attacks also have been carried out in neighboring countries.