Boko Haram militants in Nigeria reportedly killed dozens of people in the last two days and burned houses down in the northeastern town of Baga as they seized it from the military.

The murders during the past two days are said to be the second killing spree since the group took control over the said town, according to witnesses on Thursday. Locals said that the insurgents began shooting peole from Tuesday evening until Wednesday.

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One witness, identified as Mohamed Bukar, said he escaped with his family using a car after seeing that the insurgents started killing civilians. Children and women were crying for help and there were a lot of bodies on the streets, he said.

Most of those who escaped went to the state capital of Maiduguri.

The soldiers reportedly left Baga when the Sunni jihadist militant group overran an army base. According to the district head of Baga, Abba Hassan, at least 100 people have been killed up until Thursday.

In a video released by Reuters, some of the people who managed to get away from Baga were seen in the outskirts of the area waiting for buses and vehicles that were going out of town. Many of them carried things such as clothes and mattresses.

Around 10 women who were able to escape Baga said that days before the first attack, their daughters that were aged ten to 20 have been kidnapped by the group.

Last week, the Boko Haram attacked Chad's Laike Region and Chadian Prime Minister Kalzeubet Pahimi said 2,000 Nigerians and 500 Chadians were killed in the incident.

The insurgency caused by the Boko Haram militants has resulted to more than 10,000 deaths since last year. This is the latest figure recorded by the Council on Foreign Relations back in November.

The Boko Haram insurgency is being seen as the biggest threat to Nigeria and its economy, being the biggest in Africa. This also becomes a problem for Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan as the February 14 election fast approaches.

TagsBoko Haram, extremists, Insurgency, Nigeria, Africa, Baga