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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) - After a weekend of violence, officials say 32 people were killed in an attack on the northern Nigerian village of Mafa Sunday night, after soldiers fled the area, outgunned by suspected Islamist insurgents.
Thatched roofs were set ablaze as gunmen rolled into town shooting at about 8 p.m., witnesses say. All homes, shops and government buildings were destroyed. Senator Ahmed Zannah says two police officers were also killed in a bomb blast early Monday, as they attempted to rescue other victims.
The destruction comes after bombings and shootouts on Saturday evening in Borno State, Nigeria that killed nearly 100 people.
Zannah says a week before the attack most Mafa residents fled their homes after leaflets were dropped in the village, warning of imminent danger. He said seven soldiers in Borno are also believed to be missing.
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