Armed militants killed a large number of civilians and abducted scores of women and children during a deadly assault on a remote village in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, a senior lawmaker told the BBC, in one of the most serious attacks in the region in recent months.
Nigerian Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume said the number of victims from Wednesday’s attack on the village of Ngoshe was “very massive,” though an exact death toll had not yet been confirmed.
“The number of people killed actually is very massive but we don’t know the exact number,” Ndume told the BBC, citing information from local officials and residents.
The assault reportedly took place in the evening as villagers were breaking their fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Ngoshe is a predominantly Muslim community located in a remote area near the Cameroon border.
Local media and residents said suspected Islamist militants stormed the village, abducting more than 100 women and children. The attackers also targeted a nearby military base and a camp for displaced people, killing several soldiers and civilians, including the village’s chief cleric and community elders.
Ndume said militants seized control of the village for two days before Nigerian forces pushed them out using air strikes and ground troops.
He warned that the attackers may have fled with weapons looted from the military base, a tactic that could allow them to launch further attacks in nearby areas.
Local journalist Umaru Yakubu Kirawa told the BBC that residents confirmed many people had been killed and hundreds abducted.
“They were calling for security reinforcement,” Kirawa said. “People were fasting — some were able to break their fast, and unfortunately some could not before the attack happened.”
Residents said Ngoshe had only recently been resettled after many villagers were displaced by years of insecurity in the region.
“This is the first attack there after their resettlement by the government,” Kirawa said.
Borno state has long been the epicentre of Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency, with attacks by Boko Haram and fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) continuing despite years of military operations.
Boko Haram drew global attention in 2014 when it abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok.
Despite being from the same political party as President Bola Tinubu, Ndume criticised the government’s handling of security in the region.
He said the military still faced shortages of equipment, ammunition and support despite the government nearly doubling the defence budget between 2024 and 2025.
Borno state police spokesperson Nahum Daso Kenneth confirmed the attack took place on Wednesday night but said authorities were still working to establish the number of casualties.
“I can confirm that there was an unfortunate incident and, due to the efforts of security personnel, we were able to repel the insurgents,” he said, adding that search and rescue operations were ongoing.
Borno state Governor Babagana Umara Zulum visited survivors on Friday, offering food and other supplies while promising efforts to rescue those abducted and restore security in the area.