Niger Republic military officials say about 25 people have been killed in a Boko Haram attack on a village in southern Niger and subsequent clashes between the militants and the Army.

Fighters from the militants killed five civilians in their initial attack on the village located in the Bosso District.

The Niger Republic military officials added that the soldiers drove back the militants, killing around 20 of them.

“The situation is under control and we are carrying out clean-up operations,” he added.

Boko Haram has ramped up cross-border attacks into Niger, Chad and Cameroon from its strongholds in northeastern Nigeria in recent months.

Almost a third of Diffa’s nearly 600,000 inhabitants have been displaced by the violence.