Militants kill 150 in Nigeria\\\'s Borno state

At least 150 people are reported to have been killed in a series of attacks by suspected militants in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno state, predominantly inhabitated by Christians. Eyewitnesses say the gunmen stormed the village of Kukawa near Lake Chad on Wednesday evening, killing 97 people, including women and children. On Tuesday, the militants shot dead 48 men after they had finished prayers in two villages near the town of Monguno, a resident said. The women are said to have been spared. Monguno was recently recaptured from Boko Haram. At least 23 people died in the town last month after a confiscated Boko Haram bomb exploded during celebrations to mark the successful military operation against the group. According to Amnesty International, at least 17,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its violent uprising, mainly in Nigeria’s north-east, according to a news agency.