The infamous Islamist terrorist group has been attacking villages in Nigeria's distant border provinces, causing hundreds of deaths. In the latest attacks, the group killed almost 50 people, adding to a rising toll without any meaningful response from the local authorities.

Boko Haram began attacking various villages in the Borno and Adamawa regions early this week. According to The Associated Press, residents of the Gowza district in Borno had asked the military on Monday to send troops to the area, fearing an imminent attack by the terrorists. But their requests went unanswered.

Over the next days, Boko Haram attacked villages around Gowza and later near the regional capital of Maiduguri, killing an estimated 200. The news agency reports that Mohammed Ali Ndume, a senator representing Borno, and a top security official who spoke in anonymity confirmed the attacks. However, despite having enacted a state of emergency in the regions and sending more troops, the Nigerian government has not been successful in quelling the Islamist group, which wants to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria.

The latest attack happened on Wednesday when Boko Haram arrived in the village of Bardari and tricked local residents by telling them to gather because they were going to preach. However, according to BBC News, the group then turned its guns onto the gathered crowd and killed 45. Attacks began on Sunday when they attacked near by villages, culminating in an attack on Attagara on Tuesday, where Boko Haram militants dressed as government troops to lure the villagers out.

According to local minister Peter Biye, who spoke with BBC News, the number of dead cannot be confirmed because the survivors have fled their villages, and there is no one to count the bodies. Following the attacks, the military still has failed to send soldiers to the areas, and there are reports of Islamist flags in the area.