Police in Nigeria's northeast Borno State confirmed on Tuesday that eight people were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Dalori area of the state.

The suspected insurgents in a Golf salon car loaded with improvised explosive device (IED) threw the IED at a police patrol van, killing all the five policemen. The Golf car also caught fire, killing the three occupants, state police spokesperson Gideon Jubrin told reporters in Maiduguri, the state capital.

"Two Golf saloon cars loaded with Improvised Explosive Device (IED) headed for Maiduguri from an unknown destination and one of the vehicles exploded around a government farm on Bama-Maiduguri high way," he said.

"The second vehicle met a police patrol van and the occupants threw the IED at the van, unfortunately the IED exploded killing all the five policemen on patrol while the Golf car also caught fire killing the three occupants," Jubrin said.

He described the incident as unfortunate.

The police spokesman added that five persons were also killed on Monday night in a Boko Haram attack at Zaragajiri in Mafa area of the state.

The suspected Boko Haram militants around midnight attacked the village and set about 75 houses ablaze before escaping.

Borno State has been a flashpoint of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram since 2009, when the sect launched its insurgency targeting churches, security facilities, schools and villages.