KANO, Nigeria: Attackers stormed the home of a Nigerian deputy governor on Saturday and slit the throats of two of his guards, while killing nine others in the same village in the restive northeast, police said.

It was unclear who was behind the attack in Midlu village of Adamawa state in the early hours of Saturday, said police spokesman Mohammed Ibrahim. Adamawa Deputy Governor Bala James Ngilari was not at the home at the time.

“The two guards at the deputy governor's house were slaughtered,” said Ibrahim, specifying their throats were slit.

“The remaining nine were killed by gun” at different locations.

He said the attacks appeared targeted, with initial information indicating some victims in the village were called out by name.

Ibrahim said he could not provide any further identification of the victims or why they may have been targeted because an investigation was ongoing.

“We have not made any arrests yet but joint military and police teams have been deployed to the village to track down the attackers who are on the run,”Ibrahim said.

Islamist extremist group Boko Haram has carried out scores of attacks in the region, though Adamawa state has also been embroiled in a feud among members of the ruling PDP party.

Violence linked to Boko Haram's insurgency, including killings by the security forces, have left some 3,000 people dead since 2009.

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday formed a panel to study whether the Islamists should be offered an amnesty deal to bring an end to the violence in Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer.