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BAUCHI, Nigeria — The villagers knew an attack was coming, so they used the dark of night to ambush the suspected Boko Haram militants, killing scores and arresting at least 10 in a move to deter the extremists and make future attacks “impossible.”

Vigilante groups have been springing up in north Nigeria over the past year amid accusations the military is not acting fast enough against the Islamic extremists who are holding captive more than 270 schoolgirls.

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In Kalabalge, a village about 250 kilometres from the Borno state capital of Maiduguri, where the terrorist network was born, residents said they took matters into their own hands.

On Tuesday morning, after learning about an impending attack by the militants, villagers ambushed two trucks with gunmen, residents and a security official told The Associated Press. At least 10 militants were detained, and scores were killed, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to give interviews to journalists. It was not immediately clear where the detainees were being held.