Militants aligned with the Islamic State group killed at least nine people in northeastern Nigeria, according to military sources and witnesses.
The assault, carried out by Islamic State West Africa Province fighters, targeted the village of Mayenti in Borno state on Monday evening.
ISWAP, which broke away from Boko Haram in 2016, continues to strike military positions yet increasingly turns its fury on civilians.
Five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force and four labourers were confirmed dead, while several soldiers remain missing, officials said.
The attackers torched two government trucks belonging to the state ministry overseeing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts before retreating.
A resident, Abbaram Modu Gana, said the gunfire erupted near her home, forcing her to hide with her children until the chaos subsided.
She later saw security personnel loading bodies into a vehicle and counted nine victims through her gate before authorities removed them.
The attack followed the killing of four security personnel by ISWAP fighters in Damboa district just three days earlier.
The group also claimed responsibility for killing a Nigerian brigadier general leading counterinsurgency operations in the Lake Chad region.
Sixteen years of militant insurgency have left more than 40,000 people dead and displaced nearly two million residents across Nigeria’s northeast.
The violence continues to spill across borders into Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the four nations to establish a joint military force.