Story highlights Residents and militia leaders: Gunmen on horseback enter a northeast Nigerian village and kill 68

Militants later kill an imam in another village, as well as open fire at a Nigerian mosque

Locals blame Boko Haram, which has been behind attacks, bombings and mass kidnappings

(CNN) Boko Haram militants have unleashed another torrent of violence in northeast Nigeria, killing 79 people in three recent attacks there, residents and local militia said.

In the first and deadliest attack late Friday, gunmen entered the village of Baanu -- about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state -- and shot dead 68 people.

The gunmen seemingly shot indiscriminately, spurring survivors to run for their lives into the bush, according to residents and vigilantes, who are local militia assisting the Nigerian military in going after Boko Haram.

The next attack happened around 2 p.m. (9 a.m. ET) Saturday in Hambagda village in Borno state's Gwoza district, 80 miles from Maiduguri and a few miles from Boko Haram's de facto capital.

Militants, again on horseback, unloaded on worshipers at a mosque -- leaving seven dead and five more wounded, locals and militia leaders said.

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