Boko Haram extremists have gunned down nearly 100 Muslims praying in mosques in north-eastern Nigeria.

A government official and a self-defence fighter said the attack on the town of Kukawa came as people were praying ahead of breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. They said 97 people, mainly men, were killed.

A senior government official from the area said the Islamic extremists targeted several mosques in the town.

Vigilante group spokesman Abbas Gava said its self-defence fighters in Kukawa reported that some militants broke into people's homes, killing women and children.

Boko Haram often targets mosques where it believes clerics espouse too moderate a form of Islam.

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