KANO (Nigeria), Oct 20: Gunmen killed seven people in Nigeria’s troubled city of Potiskum on Saturday, taking the death toll to at least 30 for three days of violence in the northeastern town, police and residents said.

In the eastern state of Adamawa, the bodies were found of nine people residents said were executed by soldiers hunting suspects in a roadside bomb blast four days earlier. Suspected members of the Boko Haram Islamist group shot dead seven people, including a retired customs chief and an ex-police officer early on Saturday, police said.

“I have received reports of the killing of a retired controller of customs and a retired police officer and five members of their family by Boko Haram gunmen in Potiskum this morning,” Yobe state police commissioner Patrick Egbuniwe said. Egbuniwe said the gunmen killed the ex-customs officer Ajiya Waziri and his doctor son, before the attack on the police officer and four members of his family.

Residents said Waziri and his son were abducted from their house and taken to the outskirts of the city where they were shot dead. Their bodies were dumped on the roadside.

A domestic staff said around 10 gunmen took away cash and other valuables from the house before setting it ablaze.

“Their bodies were found with bullet wounds on the outskirts of the city later today,” he said.

Residents said the gunmen also broke into the house of Haruna Adamu, a retired assistant superintendent of police in Sabon Layi area of the city.

“It was past midnight when I heard several gunshots followed by screams which woke me up,” said Tabiu Hamza, a neighbour of the slain police officer.

“Some neighbours including myself rushed to the house after the gunmen had left only to find all the five members of the family, including Haruna, his wife and three children dead,” he said.

Potiskum, the commercial hub of Yobe state, has been hard hit by near daily Islamist attacks in recent weeks.

A wave of attacks by suspected Islamists that began on Thursday had already left at least 23 other people dead and several buildings destroyed.

A nurse at the Potiskum general hospital spoke of 20 bodies being brought to the morgue, while residents said three bodies were buried by their families following explosions and shootings in the restive city on Thursday.

“We now have a total of 20 bodies brought in yesterday from the attacks of the previous night. Initially 11 bodies were brought and nine more were received later,” a nurse who asked not to be named said. Residents said the toll could be higher as some relatives had taken some bodies from the streets for burial.—AFP