CHURCHES were burned, and a pastor and teacher were among dozens killed, in the latest attacks by suspected Boko Haram militants in north-eastern Nigeria.

Newspapers in Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, reported that ten churches had been burned to the ground last weekend; also houses belonging to Christians in Borno State.

Reports say, however, that, as the terrorists left, they were ambushed by government troops, and many of them were killed.

The charity the Barnabas Fund said that Christians had fled to mountains and villages near by, seeking refuge. Thousands of people have been killed in the region since the insurgency began in 2009.