NPN

Maiduguri: Boko Haram militants attacked a village in northeastern Nigeria late at night, killing dozens of people. The village was home to residents who had recently returned from a closed camp for internally displaced persons. At least 60 people were killed in the attack on Darul Jamal in Bama local government area late Friday night, said Mohammed Babagana, a resident of the village. Governor appeals to stay Borno state governor Babagana Zulum visited the attacked area late Saturday evening. Zulum said, "We sympathize with the people and we have appealed to them not to leave their homes as we have made arrangements to increase security and provide them with food and other life-saving items." The chairman of the local government of Bama, Modu Gujja, said more than a dozen houses were burned and more than 100 people were forced to flee their homes. Boko Haram faction attacked Taiwo Adebayo, a researcher specializing in Boko Haram at the Institute for Security Studies, spoke to local residents of Darul Jamal. He said Friday night's killings were carried out by a faction of Boko Haram known as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad. Nigeria's homegrown jihadist Boko Haram took up arms in 2009 to oppose Western education and impose its radical version of Islamic law. According to the United Nations, the conflict has spread to Nigeria's northern neighbors, including Niger, and has resulted in the death of about 35,000 civilians and the displacement of more than 2 million people. Boko Haram split into two factions In fact, Boko Haram split into two factions after the death of the group's longtime leader Abu Bakr Shekau in 2021. One of the groups is backed by the Islamic State group and is known as the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, and has become notorious for targeting military targets. The other, Jamaat-e-Ahle-Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad, or JAS, has taken to attacking civilians and alleged collaborators, and thrives on looting and kidnapping for ransom. When JAS attacks and kills many people, as they did in Bama last night, they usually suspect the victims are spies for the rival ISWAP or the military, Adebayo said. The village was recently resettled Following military operations in the region in recent years, authorities resettled displaced people in several communities, the most recent being the Darul Jamal village in July. Kana Ali, a resident of Darul Jamal, said he decided to leave the community for good after he confirmed the deaths of close family friends in Friday's attack. “But the governor is still pleading with us to stay here because more security will be put in place to protect our community.