"It was like a military coup here two months ago when all the government officials ran away," said a white-bearded elder in Kirenowa, as he described how his village in northern-eastern Nigeria came under the control of the Islamist group known as Boko Haram"
"We were in real difficulty when Boko Haram were here; life was terrible - they extorted our money," he told the BBC in the village which lies just 40km (24 miles) from the porous border with Cameroon.
"They were moving around in the village with their cars - they went to [nearby] places like Chikunguldo and Wulgo as well as inside Chad."
A short distance along the sandy road within the district of Marte there are the hallmarks of the militants; the burnt-out church and the remains of the village police station which was also gutted by fire.
In front of the roofless, blackened building is the carcass of a burnt car.
The Nigerian military offered to take journalists in a protected convoy to these areas of Borno state in an effort to highlight what it describes as key gains in the fight against Boko Haram.
Just over three weeks ago President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in the north-east.
He announced a renewed military offensive after making the somewhat surprising announcement that Nigerian territory had been seized by Boko Haram.
Earlier this year Boko Haram's black flag replaced Nigeria's green and white one in several villages of Borno state, including Marte - a sign that the insurgent were under little pressure from the Nigerian armed forces. BBC News - Nigeria's army gunning for Boko Haram
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