At least 25 people have been killed in two separate jihadist attacks in northeastern Nigeria’s Adamawa State, local sources told AFP on Thursday.

The assaults occurred in the towns of Madagali and Hong, near the border with Cameroon, and were attributed to fighters from Boko Haram, which has waged an insurgency since 2009.

A local government official in Madagali, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said gunmen riding motorcycles stormed a market on Tuesday evening. “They opened fire on people and killed 21,” the official said, adding that more victims may have died in surrounding bushes while trying to escape. The attackers reportedly looted food items and motorcycles during the raid.

In neighbouring Hong, four additional people, including three soldiers, killed, according to a resident, Ezekiel Musa. “Boko Haram attacked us after they left the town. We saw the corpses of three soldiers and one woman was killed,” he said, noting that some residents had begun fleeing out of fear despite increased security presence.

Adamawa State Governor Adamu Umaru Fintiri condemned the violence, describing the incidents as “senseless attacks” and vowing not to allow terrorists to undermine efforts to restore stability.

Since 2009, Nigeria’s insurgency, led mainly by Boko Haram and its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced about two million people across the northeast, according to the United Nations. The conflict has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition that has recently weakened following Niger’s withdrawal after the 2023 coup.

Earlier this month, the United States Africa Command announced the deployment of about 200 troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to local forces battling jihadist groups.