More than 40 Boko Haram extremists found dead in Chad prison

The authorities had arrested 58 members of the group following recent fighting at Lake Chad

Smouldering ashes left after an attack by Boko Haram fighters on a funeral in northeast Nigeria. AFP

A group of 44 suspected members of Boko Haram have been found dead in their prison cell in Chad.

The extremists had been arrested during a recent operation against the group, Chad's chief prosecutor said.

Speaking on national television, Youssouf Tom said the 44 prisoners had been found dead in their cell on Thursday.

They were among a group of 58 suspects jailed during a recent army operation in the Lake Chad zone, he added.

"Following the fighting around Lake Chad, 58 members of Boko Haram had been taken prisoner and sent to Ndjamena for the purposes of the investigation," he said.

"On Thursday morning, their jailers told us that 44 prisoners had been found dead in their cell," Mr Tom said, adding that he had attended the scene.

An investigation was ongoing to determine how the prisoners had died, he said.