Gunmen, suspected to be of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, have killed 37 people in raids on five villages around Maiduguri, the capital of northeast Nigeria’s Borno State.

Report says the Islamic extremists, who arrived on motorcycles and in four-wheel drive vehicles, fired into houses and shot fleeing locals on Wednesday and the early hours of Thursday.

A military source who maintained anonymity said: “Reports indicated a total of 37 people were killed by the insurgents during the separate attacks.”

According to Reuters, Malum Idrissa, a member of a village defense group known locally as the Civilian Joint Task Force, confirmed the death toll as 37, saying the villages were around 90 km (56 miles) from Maiduguri.

Details of the attack emerged a day after President Buhari held a summit with regional counterparts, to set up a joint military force to counter Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has killed thousands and left millions of people displaced during a six-year plus insurgency.

Maiduguri, the city closest to the scene of the attacks, this week became the new site of the Nigerian Military Command Center for operations to fight Boko Haram.

More than 80 people were killed in bomb blasts in the city last week, amid a resurgence in activity by the insurgents.

•Sourced from Channels TV. Photo shows Boko Haram insurgents.