Darul Jamal, Nigeria – On the night of September 5, 2025, the town of Darul Jamal in northeastern Nigeria was thrown into chaos as Boko Haram militants launched a brutal surprise attack, leaving dozens dead and hundreds displaced.
Survivors say they had to play dead, hide in blood-soaked sand, and run through burning homes just to stay alive.
Umar Bulama, a 34-year-old firewood seller, was one of the lucky ones. He survived by lying among the bodies, hoping the attackers would think he was already dead.
“I pressed my face into the blood-soaked sand,” said Bulama. “I escaped… but I left my neighbors behind forever.”
After the attack, he walked for hours through dangerous terrain until he found safety at a military checkpoint near Banki, close to the Cameroonian border.
Darul Jamal had been mostly empty for nearly 10 years after being previously attacked. People only began returning earlier this year, following the Nigerian government’s push to close displacement camps and resettle families.
Among those who returned was Aisha Umar, a 70-year-old mother.
“They told us it was safe to return,” she said tearfully. “Safe? Look at the graves.”
Her two sons were dragged away by the militants during the attack. She is now staying with relatives in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.
Though Boko Haram’s violence has reduced since its peak between 2013 and 2015, the group and its rival faction ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) continue to launch deadly attacks across rural northeastern Nigeria.
In the first half of 2025, ISWAP overran at least 17 military bases, according to Good Governance Africa.
“The sky was red with flames,” said Ali Mustapha, a 42-year-old shopkeeper. “Bullets were flying, children were crying. I grabbed my daughter and ran through the smoke.”
He lost his wife during the chaos.
“I buried her with my own hands,” he said. “That is the last gift I could give her.”
The official death toll reported by Borno Governor Babagana Zulum was 63 people. However, local sources and aid workers estimate the number could be as high as 90 or more, as many victims fled into the nearby bush and were never found.
“We counted at least 85 corpses,” said Mommodu Isa, a local militia leader.
The attack is a serious blow to the government’s plan to resettle displaced people and shut down refugee camps. Critics have long warned that these returns were happening too quickly, without proper security or support.
“This attack has undone years of progress,” said Habiba Yusuf, an aid worker with Mon Club International. “Darul Jamal is once again a ghost town.”
With international NGOs pulling out of many areas and the government struggling to maintain order, there are growing fears that more attacks could follow if urgent action is not taken.
