ABUJA, Nigeria, June 5 (UPI) -- Approximately 245 people were killed this week in Nigeria's Borno state by suspected Boko Haram militants.
In the outskirts of Maiduguri, the attackers arrived in the village of Barderi under the guise of preachers and gathered a crowd together before opening fire on them. 45 residents were killed.
Boko Haram is known to employ tactics to assemble groups of villagers before attacking them.
On Tuesday, militants disguised as Nigerian soldiers launched an attack on Attagara village in the remote Gwoza region, killing an unspecified number of residents.
Believing the soldiers had come to offer protection, the villagers assembled in a church compound. The gunmen then opened fire, local Member of Parliament Peter Biye told the BBC.
Biye estimated that at least 200 people had been killed in attacks on Attagara and five nearby villages. The attacks occurred close to the Mandara Mountains where, he said, Boko Haram is known to hide out.
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has previously admitted that parts of Borno state are not under the government's control.
