Four members of Nigeria’s Boko Haram militant group have been killed after being arrested by vigilantes of the Civilian Joint Task Force, a military official says.

On Sunday, Lieutenant Colonel Beyidi Martins said that the militants were killed by the vigilante group in the town of Mubi in the eastern state of Adamawa.

On Saturday, the vigilantes captured 11 members of the group in the town of Michika in Adamawa.

Five of the militants were taken to Mubi and the other six were transferred to Maiduguri, the birthplace of Boko Haram and the largest city of the northeastern state of Borno.

Of the five taken to Mubi, two died after being beaten up by the vigilantes on Saturday.

"Two others died today (Sunday) of injuries. We now have one still alive and is being interrogated," Beyidi said.

The Civilian Joint Task Force is a vigilante group founded by residents to fight the Boko Haram group.

Boko Haram -- whose name means “Western education is forbidden” -- says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

Over the past four years, violence in the north of Africa’s most populous country has claimed the lives of 3,600 people, including killings by the security forces