Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram militants have killed dozens of people and burned down homes in two villages in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, police and a security source said on Monday.

The attacks on Kalwa and Gwollam villages in the Monguno local government area of Borno state, just over 100 km (60 miles) from state capital Maiduguri, began on Friday night and continued into Saturday morning, a security source said.

“Many persons were reported killed and several houses were burnt,” said Borno police commissioner Aderemi Opadokun, who said the attackers were suspected members of militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

Witnesses said victims of the latest attacks on the three villages were either shot or slaughtered.

Musa Ado, a vigilante in Monguno said the attackers stormed the villages at night and killed the people.

He said they burnt houses and also carted away assorted food and animals.

“The assailants came with guns and knives and went to many houses where they killed our people who are mostly men,” he said.

Borno state police commissioner, Mr Aderemi Opadokun said a lot is being done to protect the citizens.

Nobody has taken responsibility for the raid, but it has the hallmarks of the militant group that has killed thousands of people and forced around 1.5 million others to flee their homes during a six-year insurgency.