Villagers kill scores of militants in Nigeria

Nigerian villagers have killed scores of militants in what could be an independent reprisal for the kidnapping of over 200 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants.

The killings occurred during an ambush in the western state of Borno, where Boko Haram operates. Several militants were also detained by villagers.

Reports say the villagers suspected that the militants were preparing to launch a new attack against civilians in the area.

Details of the incident are not known as of yet, but villagers in Borno have reportedly formed self-defense groups to take the matters in their own hands, because the Nigerian military is not doing enough to stem militant attacks.

In mid-April, Boko Haram committed mass abduction of teenage schoolgirls from Chibok school in northeastern Borno state, of whom 276 remain missing.

Boko Haram — whose name means “Western education is forbidden” — says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

Over the past four years, violence in the north of Africa’s most populous country has claimed the lives of 3,600 people, including killings by the security forces.