Survivors recount horror as Boko Haram slaughters 63 in Borno

Survivors of Friday night’s Boko Haram attack on Darul Jamal community in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State have described how insurgents killed at least 63 people, including five soldiers, and razed homes in one of the deadliest assaults in recent months.

Residents recounted that the insurgents first engaged troops stationed in the area before storming civilian homes.

“They went from house to house, shooting adult males and setting homes ablaze.

They burnt 24 houses,” said Hassan Kolo, who escaped into the bush. Another survivor, Modu Abdul, said the Civilian JTF resisted briefly before running out of ammunition, leaving the community defenceless.

Security sources confirmed that the terrorists launched three successive offensives that eventually overran troops, carting away two military trucks, three motorcycles, and weapons.

They also destroyed the military signal centre, CCTV cameras, and communication facilities.

Victims included farmers, drivers, labourers, and recent returnees. Many families remain traumatised.

“I cannot forget the fear in my husband’s eyes when they came for him. He was shot mercilessly,” said Falmata Ali, whose husband was among those killed.

The Nigerian Air Force, however, said over 30 insurgents were neutralised in retaliatory airstrikes and ground operations under Operation Hadin Kai.

Spokesman Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame said ISR scans identified terrorists fleeing towards nearby bushes, where they were targeted in “three precise and successive strikes.”

The attack has reignited debate over the safety of resettled communities.

A security expert and former DSS Director, Mike Ejiofor, warned that forcing displaced persons to return prematurely is dangerous, noting that insurgents use such massacres to “discredit government and instil fear.”

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party’s Peter Obi condemned the killings, describing the wave of violence across Borno, Edo, Sokoto, and Katsina as evidence of a national security emergency.

Obi noted that with over 100 people killed nationwide in one weekend, Nigeria’s casualty figures “rival those of countries officially at war.”

Despite repeated assurances by Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of improved security, returnee communities such as Marte, Izge, Baga, Rann, and now Darul Jamal have continued to come under Boko Haram attacks.