Kano , Nigeria ( CNN ) -- At least 30 people were killed Sunday in raids by suspected Boko Haram Islamists on four Christian villages in the northeastern Nigerian state of Borno , residents and a priest said . Gunmen on motorcycles stormed the villages of Kwada , Ngurojina , Karagau and Kautikari , opening fire on residents and hurling explosives into homes and churches . The villages are near Chibok , scene of the April 14 abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls , . Barnabas Tanko , a member of a local vigilante group in Kwada , 10 kilometers ( 6 miles ) from Chibok , said the gunmen , believed to be Boko Haram insurgents , attacked the village around 8:00 a.m . Witnesses say the gunmen pursued fleeing residents into the bush and shot them dead . In Kwada , the entire village , including its five churches , was burned by the marauding gunmen . `` We have confirmed that 30 bodies have so far been recovered in the four villages attacked by the gunmen , '' said Enoch Mark , a Christian priest in Chibok . It is difficult to say how many people were killed because the gunmen on motorcycles pursued residents fleeing into the bush and shot them dead , Mark added . `` We now have to wait until things calm down to scour the bushes to collect bodies , '' Mark said . Dark smoke coming from the directions of the four villages could be seen from Chibok . Mark said it was from burning homes . `` They are no doubt Boko Haram . They opened fire on residents , some worshipping in churches , and set buildings on fire with explosives , '' Tanko said . `` They burnt five churches and the entire village before proceeding to Ngurojina , Karagau and Kautikari , '' Tanko said . Military response was slow , Mark said , allowing the gunmen ample time to inflict massive carnage on the villages . A military fighter jet deployed five hours later and the gunmen sneaked into the bush , Tanko said . Residents of the four villages who were able to escape have fled to nearby towns and Maiduguri , the state capital .
At least 30 people are dead after raids in Nigeria , residents say . Boko Haram Islamists are suspected in the attacks on predominantly Christian areas . Gunmen on motorcycles opened fire and at least five churches were set on fire .