Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, on Saturday condemned the killing of 58 residents and five soldiers in an attack on Darajamal community, Bama Local Government Area.

Zulum, who visited the community to commiserate with grieving families, described the incident as heartbreaking.

“We are here to commiserate with the people of Darajamal over what happened last night that has claimed the lives of many people. It is very sad,” the governor told newsmen.

He explained that the community, resettled only a few months ago, had been going about its normal activities before coming under a Boko Haram attack on Friday night.

“From what we have confirmed so far, 63 people lost their lives, including close to 60 civilians and five soldiers,” Zulum said.

The governor, while acknowledging the challenges of combating insurgency, called for the urgent deployment of newly trained Forest Guards to complement military operations and secure vulnerable communities.

“We have to take note that the numerical strength of the military is not enough to cover everywhere. Two sets of Forest Guards have already been trained. One immediate solution is to deploy them to vulnerable locations to protect both the forests and the people,” he stated.