By Rosemary Caleb
At least five soldiers and 58 civilians have been killed in a fresh attack on Daral-Jamal, a community along the Bama-Banki road in the Sambisa Forest.
The attack occurred Friday night despite a Militaryi base in the community.
It was learnt that suspected Boko Haram terrorists stormed the community, and burnt down over 20 houses, vehicles, foodstuffs and other valuables belonging to the resettled Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, on Saturday, visited the community to condole with families of the 63 people killed by Boko Haram insurgents.
Zulum who spoke to journalists during the visit 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 a Boko Haram attack last night. Our visit is to commiserate with them and build their resilience.”
“At this moment, we have confirmed that 63 people lost their lives, both civilians and military, although the civilian casualties are more. Close to about 60 civilians and five soldiers lost their lives.”
The governor who noted that there is a shortfall in military presence in the area called for the immediate deployment of the newly trained Forest Guards to complement the military in safeguarding vulnerable communities.
“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,” he stated.
The latest attack defies moves by the government to close down camps for internally displaced persons and return the inhabitants to their homes.
The development highlights seeming difficulties in surmounting terrorism in the North East which until recently,began to heave a sigh of relief.
