Four traders at the popular Monday Market in Maiduguri were killed on Thursday, reports have said.

Unidentified gunmen opened fire at the market, barely a day after the Federal Government announced the end to the state of emergency declared in some local government areas of Borno State, the Daily Trust reported.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m., eye witnesses say. The gunmen reportedly stormed an area of the market known as the Tobacco line and shot the victims dead.

The Daily Trust reported the gunmen then fired sporadically into the air causing traders and other market goers to flee before they in turn fled the scene.

The dead traders were left in a pool of their own blood and were long dead before help could come their way, eye witnesses say.

Following the incident, many traders locked up their shops. The Daily Trust reported that the murdered traders were all southerners.

One of them, identified simply as Linus was said to be selling leather bags and brief cases at the market.