MAIDUGURI (Reuters) - At least six people have been killed during a raid by Boko Haram militants outside Nigeria's northeastern city Maiduguri, a police officer said on Wednesday.
The militants "were in Bale Mamman to rustle livestock at about 7:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Tuesday. Residents alerted security forces ... but before the arrival of troops six persons were shot dead," police chief Aderemi Opadokun said.
A military and a vigilante source said eight people had been killed and four women abducted during fighting that lasted until 10:30 p.m. (2130 GMT).
Bale Mamman is a village about seven km (four miles) southeast of the city of 2 million people. Maiduguri in Borno state is the birthplace of the Islamist jihadi group and is a frequent target of raids and suicide bombers.
Boko Haram has been trying to carve out an Islamist state adhering to strict sharia law since 2009 in the northeast of the country. It pledged allegiance this year to Islamic State, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq.
(Reporting by Lanre Ola; Writing by Julia Payne; Editing by Andrew Roche)
