Suspected members of the Boko Haram militia besieged the Baga market late on Monday, hurling explosives into the fish vendors' section, in what they said was a reprisal attack against the traders over the arrest of a prominent sect member last week.

The attackers accused the fishmongers of giving information to security forces, leading to the arrest.

Hassan Mohammed, a spokesman for the governmental Joint Task Force that tackles terrorism, said eight Boko Haram members died in a gun battle with security operatives, while three traders sustained injuries and were being treated in hospital.

"Our men engaged members of the Boko Haram sect in gun battle and we successfully killed eight of the sect members and recovered weapons as well as detonated some IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and recovered some others," Mohammed said.