2nd LD Writethru: Suspected Boko Haram fighters kill 20 people in NE Nigeria

Twenty villagers were killed when suspected Boko Haram fighters on Monday stormed a remote village in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, survivors said Tuesday.

Throats of some local residents were grisly slit by the attackers, said Habib Yakubu, a survivor of the incident at Debiro Village located in Hawul local district of the state.

He said women and children were killed in the attack, as the rampaging gunmen, who stormed the village in motorcycles and vans, shot sporadically at anyone in sight and razed houses.

Most of the villagers, who fled for safety, found refuge in the neighboring Kworjafa Village, located some 250 km to Maiduguri, capital of the northern Borno State.

Another survivor of the attack, Lawal Usman, said some residents returned to the village on Tuesday to assess the extent of the damage. According to him, at least 50 houses were razed by the gunmen.

"They (the attackers) also carted our farm produce and some of our belongings, including money," he added.

The attack was carried out almost at the same time when twin blasts wreaked havoc near a local fish market in Maiduguri city, in which at least 12 people were killed. Endi