'Hundreds of bodies' litter Nigerian town

Hundreds of bodies of alleged civilian victims of Boko Haram have been found in a recaptured Nigerian border town, witnesses say.

Local government spokesman Babagana Mustapha said a committee sent to Damasak at the weekend found the town littered with bodies of women, children and some adult men.

He said the bodies of the men appeared to be Boko Haram fighters killed when troops from Niger and Chad reclaimed the town from Boko Haram in March.

Mustapha told reporters on Monday that Chadian forces told him hundreds more bodies of insurgents remain in surrounding bush.

Damasak is near the border with Niger and about 180 kilometres northwest of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital.

International forces have driven Boko Haram from most northeastern towns in an offensive begun at the end of January.