A Nigerian senator has told the BBC that a large number of civilians were killed when armed men attacked a village in Borno State on Wednesday, although the exact death toll remains unclear. Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume said the scale of the killings was significant but that precise figures were not yet available because the information was coming from local government officials and residents.
The attack took place in Ngoshe, a predominantly Muslim community, reportedly during the evening while many residents were breaking their Ramadan fast.The BBC has reached out to the Nigerian military for a response. Local media reports say suspected Islamist militants abducted more than 100 women and children during the assault. The attackers also reportedly targeted a nearby military base and a camp for displaced people, killing several soldiers and civilians, including the village’s chief cleric and some community elders.Ndume told BBC Hausa that the militants were able to take control of the village for two days before the military forced them out using both air strikes and ground operations.
He described the incident as one of the most devastating attacks in the area since the peak of Boko Haram’s activities more than a decade ago, when the group controlled several parts of Borno, including Ngoshe. The senator also warned that the attackers may have fled with weapons taken from the military base, which could strengthen their ability to launch further assaults on other locations. A local journalist in Borno, Umaru Yakubu Kirawa, also told the BBC that residents confirmed numerous deaths and hundreds of abductions during the attack.
He said locals were urgently calling for security reinforcements, noting that while some residents managed to break their fast, others were caught in the violence before they could do so. Kirawa explained that Ngoshe is a very remote settlement and that many of its residents had previously been displaced by insecurity in Borno State.According to him, the attack was the first major incident there since the community was resettled by the government.Borno has long been the centre of Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency, with repeated attacks carried out by Boko Haram and fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Boko Haram gained global attention in 2014 after abducting more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok in the same state.Although Ndume belongs to the same political party as President Bola Tinubu, he has often criticised the government’s approach to tackling insecurity in the region. He said that since authorities had declared a state of emergency on security, they must match their words with concrete action.Ndume added that the Nigerian armed forces continue to face major challenges, including shortages of equipment, ammunition and adequate motivation from the government.
The federal government has repeatedly promised stronger measures to tackle insecurity. Analysts note that between 2024 and 2025 Nigeria nearly doubled its defence budget, yet attacks on civilians have continued in several waves. Borno State police spokesperson Nahum Daso Kenneth confirmed to the BBC that the incident occurred on Wednesday night but said the number of casualties had not yet been verified.
He said security forces were able to repel the insurgents and that search and rescue operations were currently ongoing. A spokesperson for Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum also said the governor met with survivors on Friday, providing food and other relief materials. The governor reportedly assured the victims that authorities would do everything possible to rescue those abducted and restore normalcy to the area.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/
