A military officer, who preferred to be anonymous, said the manner of operation by the gunmen had similarities with that of Boko Haram, a sect which has been a major security threat in Nigeria since 2009.
The source said survivors of the attack in Gurmushi Village of Marte local government area of the northern state were still counting their losses as the gunmen also destroyed a lot of properties. "At least 32 residents, all civilians, had been buried, " added the military source.
A police source who further confirmed the attack said all the victims died of gunshot injuries. According to him, the gunmen stormed the village on motorcycles, shooting sporadically throughout the one hour-long attack.
He said some of the residents fled into Gamboru, a neighboring community which previously witnessed the massacre of more than 100 people by Boko Haram, the outlawed sect that got enlisted in the Black Book of the United Nations (UN) last week.
Marte and Gamboru-Ngala local government areas of northern Borno State are located around the Nigeria-Cameroon border. Telecommunication facilities in the area were destroyed by Boko Haram, following their disgorgement from their hideouts by the Nigerian military last year. This usually makes telecommunications difficult among local residents, said Auwalu Bukar, a student in the area.
Boko Haram says it seeks to enshrine the Islamic Sharia law in the constitution of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country. The sect recently claimed responsibility for the mid-April abduction of more than 200 school girls in northeastern state of Borno, which has received tons of condemnation locally and internationally.
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