Fourteen people are dead, and four are missing after suspected Boko Haram attacked three villages Monday night in the Hong local government area of Adamawa state, Nigeria.

Numerous homes and businesses were vandalized or burned in the attacks, which struck the villages of Zah, Mubang Yadul, and Kijing. Many villagers fled for their safety. The attackers reportedly fled into the bush before security personnel arrived.

The attacks, which occurred days after the U.S. struck ISIS-affiliated militants in northwest Nigeria, were the latest in a string of assaults on villages in the area to occur around Christmas. Previous attacks occurred in the Garaha and Mayo Ladde districts.

The Adamawa State Police Command declined to comment on the attacks due to their link to terrorism. Security forces and additional personnel were quickly deployed to the villages to help protect villagers and restore peace.

The Adamawa House of Assembly urged Governor Ahmadu Fintiri to collaborate with the Federal Government to deploy additional military personnel, equipment, and surveillance assets to Hong, primarily to the villages near the Sambisa Forest where Boko Haram is based.

Speaker of the Assembly Bathiya Wsley called on the North East Development Commission (NEDC) to dig trenches at the edge of communities that border the Sambisa Forest to help deter the Islamic extremists from attacking. Politicians also urged the NEDC and other agencies to provide food, medical supplies, counseling, and clothing to victims of the attacks.

This article was originally published at persecution.org and reprinted with permission. 

Founded in 1995, International Christian Concern (ICC) is a Christian organization. It’s an ecumenical, non-governmental, and non-partisan group focused on protecting the human rights of Christians and religious minorities.