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Gunmen kill nine in northeast Nigeria church attack


    MAIDUGURI Nigeria (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on a church service in the northeast Nigerian village of Attangara, killing nine people, police and a witness said on Monday.

    The village lies in the Gwoza hills, near the Cameroon border and now the main stronghold of radical Islamist sect Boko Haram, which has killed civilians on an almost daily basis since stepping up its campaign of violence earlier this year.

    "As we were holding service, we started hearing gunshots and everybody fled, some through the windows, and ran into bush," resident Matha Yohana said of Sunday's attack. A police source said nine were killed in the assault.

    (Reporting by Lanre Ola; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Mark Heinrich)