In a devastating overnight assault, the jihadist group Boko Haram killed more than 60 people in the village of Darul Jamal, located in Nigeria’s north-eastern Borno State near the Cameroon border. The attack, which occurred late Friday, targeted a community that had only recently begun to rebuild after years of displacement.
Among the victims were at least five Nigerian soldiers stationed at the local military base. The militants also destroyed over 20 homes and 10 buses, killing 13 drivers and laborers involved in reconstruction efforts.
In response, the Nigerian Air Force launched a series of airstrikes, reportedly neutralizing more than 30 insurgents as they attempted to flee into nearby bushland. Air Force spokesperson Ehimen Ejodame described the strikes as “precise and successive,” aimed at halting the militants’ escape.
Governor Babagana Zulum visited the village on Saturday, expressing sorrow over the tragedy. “This community was resettled just months ago,” he said, “and now they’ve been attacked again.” He acknowledged the limitations of the current military presence and announced plans to deploy a new security unit known as the Forest Guards to reinforce protection in the region.
The attack underscores a troubling resurgence of jihadist violence in Nigeria’s northeast, where Boko Haram and its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have escalated their operations. Governor Zulum had previously warned in April of Boko Haram’s renewed strength, following a series of coordinated assaults and territorial gains.
Borno State remains the epicenter of a 15-year insurgency that has claimed over 40,000 lives and displaced more than two million people. Boko Haram, which once controlled vast swaths of territory in the region, rose to global infamy in 2014 after abducting more than 270 schoolgirls from Chibok.
Efforts to combat the group have been further complicated by the withdrawal of neighboring Niger’s troops from a regional task force, weakening the collective defense against the militants.
