5 killed in Boko Haram attack in NE Nigeria

ABUJA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Five people, including two suspected fighters of the terror group Boko Haram, were killed early Tuesday in an attack near Nigeria's northeastern town of Madagali, a local official said.

Local government chief Yusuf Mohammed told reporters the suspected terrorists attacked Pallam Village near Madagali, killing a local security man, a shop owner and another man who tried to escape in the dawn attack which lasted about an hour.

But soldiers and local hunters who chased the terrorists were able to shoot down two of them, Mohammed said.

Madagali is one of the frequently attacked major towns in the northeastern state of Adamawa by Boko Haram.

The spokesman for the police in Adamawa Othman Abubakar said the security agency was in pursuit of the other suspected terrorists responsible for the attack.

Boko Haram is blamed for the death of over 20,000 people and displacement of millions of local people since 2009. Enditem