154 people killed in gun attack in Nigeria

ABUJA, Nigeria

At least 154 people were killed and many houses were torched in an attack in Nigeria's northern Plateau state carried out by bandits related to Boko Haram, according to officials.

Gunmen on motorbikes opened indiscriminate fire on shops and houses in Kanem region on Sunday, Ya'u Abubakar, a senior councilor of the local government, told reporters on Wednesday.

Confirming the fatalities, he said approximately 4,800 people have fled their houses fearing for their lives.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attack in a statement saying the perpetrators should not be "spared and forgiven."

Information Minister Lai Mohammed said in a statement that armed gangs in cahoots with Boko Haram were responsible for the attacks.

"What is happening now is that there is a kind of an unholy handshake between bandits and Boko Haram insurgents,” Mohammed said.

Sadiya Umar Farouq, the minister of humanitarian affairs, said aid such as food, water and blankets have been delivered to the displaced people.

Boko Haram launched a bloody insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 before expanding to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a military response.

The terror group has killed more than 30,000 people and displaced nearly 3 million in Nigeria, according to the UN.

In the Lake Chad region, violence committed by Boko Haram has affected 26 million people and displaced some 2.6 million, the UN refugee agency has said.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Gozde Bayar