Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, on Saturday, paid a condolence visit to the Darajamal community in the Bama Local Government Area, where 63 people, including five soldiers and 58 civilians, were killed by Boko Haram insurgents on Friday night.

Naijaonpoint reports that the civilians, who had been displaced by insurgents earlier, had only returned to the community two months ago before the latest attack.

Governor Zulum, visibly shaken, met with community leaders and comforted the families of the deceased.

The Governor, while addressing newsmen, 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 resettled a few months ago and they were going about their normal activities, but unfortunately, they experienced a Boko Haram attack last night. Our visit is to commiserate with them and build their resilience.”

Speaking further on the scale of the killings, Zulum said, “At this moment we have confirmed that 63 people lost their lives, both civilians and military, although the civilian casualties are more.”

The governor acknowledged the limitations of the military in covering all vulnerable areas and called for urgent deployment of the newly trained Forest Guards to complement security forces.

He added, “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, whose constituency covers Darajamal, condemned the attack, describing it as “a crime against humanity.”