Boko Haram fighters killed more than 60 people in an overnight raid on a resettled village in Nigeria’s Borno State, local officials said Saturday.

The assault began late Friday in Darul Jamal, where residents had only recently returned after years of displacement. Dozens of militants on motorbikes stormed the community, opening fire and setting homes ablaze.

The Nigerian Air Force said it launched strikes that killed 30 militants after receiving reports of the attack. At least five soldiers were also killed at a nearby military base, officials confirmed.

Modu Gujja, chairman of Bama’s local government, said that more than a dozen houses in Darul Jamal were burned and over 100 people were forced to flee.

“We sympathize with the people and have pleaded with them not to abandon their homes as we have made arrangements to improve the security and provide food and other lifesaving items that they have lost,” Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum said during his visit to the village on Saturday.

Borno has been at the center of a 15-year conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced over 2 million, according to the United Nations. 

Boko Haram split in 2021 after the death of its leader, Abubakar Shekau, leaving two factions: Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) which targets military sites, and Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), which attacks civilians.

According to Good Governance Africa, a nonprofit organization, the first six months of 2025 saw a resurgence in armed group activity. The group recorded roughly 300 attacks, mostly by ISWAP, that killed around 500 civilians.