Gunmen Kill 5 in Restive Northeast Nigeria

Gunmen on motorcycles have shot dead five people and injured several others in northeast Nigeria, the latest attack in the restive region, police said Saturday.

"Five people were killed in the attack on a group of people playing cards by gunmen riding on a motorcycle," said the police commissioner in Gombe state, Mohammed Sule.

He added that the attack in the Bagadaza neighborhood of the state capital, Gombe city, was carried out by two assailants and that several people were injured, without providing figures.

Gombe has seen a series of targeted shootings in recent months, with some blamed on Boko Haram Islamists, an extremist group based in the neighboring state of Borno.

The Islamists have killed hundreds in the region since 2009, including through targeted shootings, but criminal gangs have also carried out attacks under the guise of the group.

The latest violence occurred on the eve of local elections, but it was not clear if the gunmen had a political motive.