At least 55 killed in Boko Haram raids on 2 Nigerian villages

At least 55 people were killed in two Boko Haram raids this week near Maiduguri, capital of restive northeastern Nigeria Borno state, a vigilante and two residents said on Friday.

"Boko Haram fighters raided Bale and Kayamla villages where they killed at least 55 people and burnt several homes after looting them before proceeding to the outskirts of Maiduguri‎ where they were crushed by troops," a vigilante official, Abacha Zinnari, said.

"They killed 30 people in Kayamla and another 25 in Bale," he said.

A resident of Bale, Husseini Ari, said the village on Thursday buried 25 people killed in the previous day's raid while several others who were injured were taken to hospital.