Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State, on Saturday, paid a condolence visit to Darajamal, a community in Bama Local Government Area, following the killing of 63 people by Boko Haram insurgents on Friday night.
The victims included five soldiers and about 58 civilians.
Reports indicated that the civilians had earlier been displaced by insurgents but returned to Darajamal only two months ago.
Visibly shaken by the tragedy, Zulum met with community leaders and sympathised with the bereaved families.
Speaking to newsmen, the governor said, “We are here to commiserate with the people of Darajamal over what happened last night that has claimed the lives of many people. It is very sad. This community was settled a few months ago and they go about their normal activities, but unfortunately, they experienced Boko Haram attack last night. Our visit is to commiserate with them and build their resilience.”
On the death toll, Zulum confirmed: “At this moment we have confirmed that 63 people lost their lives, both civilians and military, although the civilian casualties are more.”
The governor also stressed the urgent need to strengthen security measures, calling for the immediate deployment of the newly trained Forest Guards to support the military in protecting vulnerable communities.
He said, “We have to take note that the numerical strength of the military is not enough to cover everywhere. So far, so good; two sets of Forest Guards have been trained. Therefore, one of the solutions that we need to implement immediately is to deploy the trained Forest Guards to most of the locations that are vulnerable, they will protect the forest and communities.”
Meanwhile, the Senator representing Borno Central, Kaka Shehu Lawan, in whose constituency Darajamal falls, condemned the attack, describing it as “a crime against humanity.”