At least 40 farmers killed in Nigeria's Borno state by Boko Haram, says govt

Suspected Islamist militants killed 40 farmers in an attack on the Dumba community in Nigeria's Borno State on Sunday, a senior state official said on Monday.

Initial reports indicate the farmers strayed outside a security corridor set up by the military, venturing into an area known for insurgent activity and strewn with landmines, state commissioner of information Usman Tar said.

The militants were believed to belong to the armed group Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), who have been waging a long-running insurgency in northeast Nigeria.

Security forced were looking for any farmers who had escaped the attack, Tar added.