Boko Haram’s Brutal House to House Attack in Borno State Claims Over 60 Lives In a devastating assault that underscores the persistent thr...
Boko Haram’s Brutal House to House Attack in Borno State Claims Over 60 Lives
In a devastating assault that underscores the persistent threat of insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast, Boko Haram militants killed more than 60 people, including seven soldiers, in a nighttime raid on Darul Jamal, a village in Borno State. The attack, which occurred on Friday, September 5, 2025, targeted a community that had only recently been resettled after years of displacement, highlighting the fragility of efforts to restore normalcy in the region. The Nigerian military’s intensified counterinsurgency operations have so far failed to curb the escalating violence, according to residents and analysts.
The attack began around 8:30 p.m. when heavily armed Boko Haram fighters stormed Darul Jamal, near Banki in the Bama local government area, close to the Nigeria-Cameroon border. The militants moved house to house, shooting indiscriminately and setting homes ablaze, leaving a trail of destruction. Babagana Mala, a resident who fled to the nearby town of Bama, approximately 46 kilometers away, recounted the horror: “We had been warning the military for three days about Boko Haram gathering near our town, but no action was taken. They overwhelmed the soldiers, who fled with us to Bama.” Mala reported that 63 people were killed, including seven soldiers and several recently returned displaced persons.
The traditional head of Darul Jamal, speaking anonymously due to fear of reprisals, confirmed the grim toll, stating that 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, his voice breaking with grief. The attack also destroyed over 20 homes and 10 buses, many belonging to laborers working on reconstruction efforts in the village.
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum visited Darul Jamal on Saturday to assess the damage and console survivors, according to a security source. However, neither the police spokesperson, Nahum Kenneth Daso, nor Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, the military’s counterinsurgency campaign spokesperson, provided comments to Reuters on the incident. The Nigerian Air Force reported killing 30 militants in retaliatory strikes after receiving reports of the raid, but the scale of the attack has raised fresh concerns about the military’s ability to protect vulnerable communities.
Darul Jamal’s residents had returned just last month, encouraged by government efforts to resettle internally displaced persons (IDPs) after years of displacement caused by Boko Haram’s 15-year insurgency. Borno State, the epicenter of the conflict, has seen over 40,000 deaths and the displacement of more than two million people since 2009, when Boko Haram began its campaign to impose a radical interpretation of Islamic law. The group’s tactics, including suicide bombings, mass abductions, and village raids, have left a lasting humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast, spilling into neighboring Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
Despite military claims of intensified operations against Boko Haram and its splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), analysts and residents argue that these efforts have failed to stem the tide of attacks. The assault on Darul Jamal follows a series of deadly raids in 2025, including an attack in May that killed 57 villagers in Baga and another in January that claimed 40 farmers near Lake Chad. Security experts point to the military’s overstretched resources, exacerbated by the withdrawal of regional forces from Niger and the redirection of troops to combat banditry in northwestern Nigeria, as key factors undermining counterinsurgency efforts.
Governor Zulum has repeatedly warned of Boko Haram’s resurgence, noting in April that the group was regaining ground in Borno, particularly in the Lake Chad region and Sambisa Forest. The use of advanced tactics, such as armed drones and improvised explosive devices, has further emboldened both Boko Haram and ISWAP, according to security analysts. The lack of response to residents’ warnings about the impending attack on Darul Jamal has fueled frustration, with many questioning the effectiveness of intelligence and military coordination.
The attack on Darul Jamal is a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by Boko Haram, even as Nigeria grapples with multiple security challenges, including banditry in the northwest and Biafra Self determination agitation in the southeast. in the southeast. For the residents of Darul Jamal, the dream of returning home has turned into a nightmare, with families mourning loved ones and survivors facing an uncertain future. As the Nigerian government and its security forces struggle to contain the insurgency, the people of Borno State continue to bear the brunt of a conflict that shows no signs of abating
Family Writers Press International.
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