Residents of a northeastern Nigerian village of Kuda, Adamawa torched by Boko Haram fighters said Wednesday that nine more bodies of their relatives had been found, taking the total massacred to 30.
The jihadists, packed into four trucks and flanked by gunmen on motorbikes, swept into the village late on Monday afternoon, shooting down villagers as they ran away.
When survivors returned on Tuesday to bury the dead left amid the smoking ruins of their homes, they counted 21 people killed.
Later, the villagers said they found the bodies of nine more people in the surrounding forest, murdered as they tried to escape.
“They were pursued and shot dead as they tried to flee into the bush,” resident Paul Waramulu told AFP on Wednesday.
Two-thirds of homes in the village had been burnt and grain stores looted, he added.
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“The total number of the recovered bodies is now 30,” said Simon Damina, a villager on the search team scouring the bush. “The toll may increase, as we are still searching for more bodies.”
Kuda lies in the Madagali district of Adamawa state, 285 kilometres (177 miles) north of the state capital Yola.
The attack is the latest in a long line of massacres carried out by Boko Haram in the area, who have hideouts in the dense forests nearby.
There was no immediate official response from the army or police.
The decade-long jihadist conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and forced millions from their homes.
The violence has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition against the jihadists.
