Upwards of 70 people were reportedly killed when Boko Haram terrorists fleeing military operations attacked Njaba village in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State earlier in the week.

“We confirmed that more than 50 people were killed late Monday in Njaba when some group of fleeing militants attacked the village and opened fire on people,” Jubrin Gunda, spokesman for the local vigilante group in the state, told The Anadolu Agency.

Much of the area’s communication networks have been damaged by militants – often resulting in events there taking long before getting to the public.

Dauda Iliya, a resident of Damboa local government, also confirmed the attack.

“At least 60 people died during the incident and the village was burnt down before the terrorists fled,” Iliya said.

Some reports have put the number of persons killed in the attack at close to 70.

These accounts could not be independently verified as much of the Boko Haram-ravaged areas remain inaccessible to the media.

Meanwhile, another report has it that Boko Haram insurgents have been amassing in Gwoza, also in Borno State, killing residents who were unable to flee.

A female resident who fled Gwoza on Tuesday and requested anonymity said the insurgents rounded up elderly men who were studying the Koran outside the home of a local cleric.

The men were later executed in front of their wives, the witness told AFP from Yola, capital of neighbouring Adamawa State.

“The Boko Haram men brought out brand new guns from cartons, tested them and shot dead all the men who they forced to lie face down,” she said.

Some of these details were supported by area Senator Ali Ndume, who also confirmed the large build-up of insurgents in Gwoza.

“Boko Haram insurgents have in recent days been converging in Gwoza where they killed many male residents and chased women and children out of the town,” said Ndume.

The group’s leader Abubakar Shekau proclaimed Gwoza part of a caliphate and reclaiming the town that was captured last June would be a huge prize for Nigeria’s military.

Ndume speculated that the Islamists were preparing to defend the symbolically important town before an expected military advance.

The motive for the rebel build-up in Gwoza could not be independently confirmed but witnesses said a large number of residents had also been killed in recent days. The current population of Gwoza is hard to estimate.

Since 2009, Nigeria has battled a fierce Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged the country’s volatile North-East and left thousands dead. Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger have since last month been waging an unprecedented joint offensive against the insurgents, claiming the recapture of several key towns and villages previously under Islamist control.

•Photo shows Boko Haram insurgents.