At least 60 people, including six soldiers, were killed late Friday when suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked Darul Jama, a village in Borno State near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon.
Residents said the assailants arrived on motorbikes, opened fire indiscriminately, and set homes ablaze. Community leaders reported that more than 70 bodies were recovered by Saturday morning, with others still missing in nearby bushland. Over 20 houses and 10 buses were also destroyed.
“They went house to house, killing men and leaving women behind. Almost every household is affected,” the village’s traditional leader said.
Security sources believe the raid was led by Boko Haram commander Ali Ngulde, whose faction is active in the area. Locals accused the military of ignoring advance warnings of the attack. “We informed the army three days before, but no help came. The fighters overwhelmed the soldiers,” said Babagana Mala, a survivor who fled to Bama, 46 kilometers away.
Many victims were among families recently relocated from a displacement camp in Bama that was closed earlier this year. Survivors said the government had promised them safety before returning to their ancestral homes.
The massacre has renewed criticism of Nigeria’s policy of shutting down displacement camps while insurgent violence persists. Boko Haram’s insurgency, which began in 2009, has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over two million.
A splinter faction, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has intensified attacks since 2016. Data from Good Governance Africa shows nearly 300 attacks, mostly by ISWAP, killed about 500 civilians in the first half of 2025 alone.
