Islamic militants thought to be associated with terror group Boko Haram have killed at least 12 Christians and kidnapped a number more — including women and children — in an attack in Northern Nigeria.

The assault took place in Takulashi village near the infamous town of Chibok, where over 270 mostly Christian schoolgirls were kidnapped in 2014. According to leading persecution watchdog, International Christian Concern (ICC), the latest attack took place on 2nd November when "six gun trucks filled with insurgents entered the village and started shooting". 

Alongside killing 12 Christians and abducting several more, ICC reports that many homes and businesses were burnt to the ground. 

The Rev. Zakariya Musa of the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, EYN) said that nine of the 12 people killed were members of his congregation. Another of the victims was a pastor of the local Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) church. 

"This attack is one of the many that Boko Haram has conducted against Christians and their communities across Northern Nigeria," ICC noted in its report on the incident. "Over the past decade, Boko Haram is believed to have killed more than 50,000 people and displaced millions of others. Many of those killed and displaced have been Christians.

"The EYN church has lost many of its members. According to reports released by the church leadership, as many as 20,000 members have been killed since 2009."