An attack by suspected Boko Haram militants on Monday killed four people in Nigeria’s Molai town, Reuters reports quoting a local resident.
The West African country’s army on Monday said it had repelled an attack on the outskirts of Maiduguri, in what was the first major attack on the northeast since June.
The army’s statement gave no account of any casualties, but locals say there were at least four killed.
“Boko Haram fought their way into Molai and burnt three houses before the military fighter jet arrived,” Reuters quotes Musa Alkali, a resident there.
“Three people were burnt in their houses, (then) I saw four dead bodies taken out of the area,” he added. He said the fourth person had been shot.
The military said that none of its troops had lost their lives. It said the attackers had come with trucks mounted with guns and suicide bombers, and when retreating had set fire to houses and vehicles.
The Nigerian army is yet to make any comment on the report of the deaths.
Boko Haram has waged a near-decade insurgency in Nigeria, seeking to overthrow the government and instill a strict sharia-based system of governance.
The war has killed thousands and displaced millions others.
