Three residents were killed and shops and houses were razed to the ground when insurgents, suspected of being members of the Islamic State West Africa Province ISWAP), attacked the Kauji community in the early hours of Saturday, June 5.

Apart from the three killed, no one was reported to have been wounded or injured.

This was the fourth attack since the beginning of the year by extremists on the community, which is based about 9km from Damboa central and is close to a military base.

Abdurrahman Abana, a resident, said the attack began at about 2.30am.

He said the heavily armed insurgents stormed the town arriving in seven armoured cars. One attacker rode a motorcycle.

Within minutes, the insurgents set shops and many houses alight.

Abana said the properties were “burnt to ashes”.

Witnesses said this was the fourth attack since the beginning of the year and they feared being attacked again.

They said that more than half of the residents fled in terror when the attack began but many had begun to return, although they were still “very scared”.

They were terrified because the insurgents could return at any time, adding that there had been no security forces present during the attack although some had arrived afterwards.

The families of those who were killed were in deep mourning, residents said.

Last week eight citizens were killed and more than 80 internally displaced persons were severely injured in an attack on Damboa central by insurgents – also thought to be ISWAP  − on Wednesday, June 2.

The insurgents stormed a military base.

A spokesman for the army in Borno State, Mohammed Yerima, confirmed the attackers had arrived on motorcycles and in armoured cars and trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns and loaded with explosives.