Boko Haram kills dozens in 'house to house' attack in Nigeria

7/9/2025 5:55

Boko Haram militants

killed more than 60 people, including seven soldiers, in a

nighttime assault on a village in northeastern Nigeria's Borno

State to which people had returned only last month following

years of displacement, residents told Reuters.



Nigeria's military says it has stepped up counterinsurgency

operations in recent months in Borno state to try to contain

militias as well as militants from Boko Haram and its splinter

group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).



Analysts and residents say the operations have failed to

stem attacks. Northwest Nigeria has also been plagued by

violence.



The attack on Darul Jamal, near Banki in the Bama local

government area, occurred around 8:30 p.m. on Friday, when armed

fighters stormed the community, shooting indiscriminately and

setting homes ablaze.



Babagana Mala, a resident who fled with soldiers to Bama

town, about 46 km (29 miles) away, said Darul Jamal had been

resettled last month after years of displacement.



"We had been warning the military for three days about Boko

Haram gathering near our town, but no action was taken," he

said. "They overwhelmed the soldiers, who fled with us to Bama."



Mala said 63 people were killed, including seven soldiers

and several people who had returned from a camp for internally

displaced persons in Bama.



The traditional head of Darul Jamal, who requested

anonymity, said 70 bodies had been recovered by Saturday

morning, with more residents still missing in the surrounding

bush. "They went house to house, killing men and leaving women

behind. Almost every household is affected," he said, sobbing.



Governor Babagana Zulum visited the area on Saturday to

assess the damage and console survivors, a security source

confirmed to Reuters.



Police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso declined to comment

on the attack. Reuters was unable to reach Lieutenant Colonel

Sani Uba, spokesperson for Nigeria's military counterinsurgency

campaign.



The head of Darul Jamal added that more than 20 houses and

10 buses were destroyed. Among the dead were seven drivers and

six labourers from Bama and the city of Maiduguri, who had been

working on reconstruction efforts in the town, he said.