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30 people were killed following an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a convoy of the regional governor in northeast Nigeria, according to security sources.

The attack happened on Friday in Baga when Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum was headed for a meeting with residents displaced by the militants. Zulum, whose convoy also came under attack in July, was unhurt in the incident.

The sources told AFP more bodies had been recovered following the incident causing an increase in the death toll which was initially reported to be 15.

“The tally has increased to 30 as many bodies were picked in the surrounding areas after the attack,” one of the sources said.

Those killed in the attack were 12 policemen, five soldiers, four members of a government-backed militia and nine civilians.

The second source said the militants also stole a number of vehicles following the attack.

“The terrorists made away with an armoured personnel carrier, a gun truck and six sports utility vehicles in the convoy.”

Nigerian police had earlier confirmed that eight policemen and three government-backed militia members had been killed while 13 people had been injured in the attack which was “successfully repelled”.

Nigeria has been battling an insurgency by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the north and northeast for over a decade. The conflict has killed at least 36,000 people and left millions of others displaced in the northeast and the general Lake Chad Basin.