Twin Boko Haram attacks kill nearly 150 people

(Vatican Radio)  Twin attacks by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in Northeastern Nigeria have left almost 150 people dead, in the latest violence in the region. 

Listen to Devin Watkins' report:

The first attack came on Tuesday night as militants entered 2 villages in Kukawa near Lake Chad in the Borno region and shot dead 48 people as they were resting from the day’s fast.

On Wednesday evening the insurgent group struck again, this time entering several mosques and gunning down 97 praying Moslems. 

"Many people were killed," according to a military source. The casualty figure "may be very high," he said.

Eyewitnesses report that 1,000 Nigerian soldiers were stationed at a military base a mere 11 kilometers away but took no action as shots were being fired.

The militant Boko Haram group has already killed thousands and displaced more than 1.5 million others in their 6 year insurgency to create an Islamic caliphate.

Earlier in March, Nigerian forces went on the offensive before presidential elections, regaining large amounts of territory from the terrorist group.

Now, in the height of Islam’s holiest month of Ramadan, Boko Haram is striking back.