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MAIDUGURI, BORNO STATE — By Prime Brief Media

At least 11 people have been confirmed dead following a late-night attack by suspected Boko Haram fighters on a community near the fringes of the Sambisa Forest in Borno State.

According to preliminary accounts from local sources and security operatives familiar with the incident, the assailants infiltrated the settlement under cover of darkness, opening fire indiscriminately on residents and setting homes ablaze. The attack, which occurred in the late hours of Tuesday, sent residents fleeing into the surrounding bushland as the insurgents moved through the community unchallenged for several hours.

"The attackers came in large numbers. They shot at anyone they saw and burned many houses. By the time we returned this morning, we counted eleven bodies," a community elder who spoke to Prime Brief Media on condition of anonymity said. "Some people are still missing. We fear they may have been taken by the attackers or are hiding in the bush."

The exact community targeted has not been officially named, but sources indicate it lies along the volatile corridor bordering the Sambisa Forest, a vast expanse of woodland that has served as a stronghold for Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province for over a decade. The forest's dense vegetation and difficult terrain have made it a strategic refuge for insurgent groups, enabling them to launch periodic raids on nearby villages before retreating beyond the reach of security forces.

The attack is the latest in a pattern of violence that continues to plague Nigeria's Northeast region despite sustained military operations under Operation Hadin Kai. Just this week, United Nations security reports confirmed that 23 people, including three children, were killed in separate attacks across Borno and Zamfara states. The Pubago community in Damboa Local Government Area, also near the Sambisa corridor, lost 11 residents in a similar raid.

Residents of communities near the Sambisa Forest have repeatedly appealed for an increased and permanent security presence to deter attacks and provide rapid response capability. Many of these communities are remote, accessible only by unpaved roads that become impassable during the rainy season, further complicating security deployments and humanitarian access.

Humanitarian organisations operating in the Northeast have documented a continued cycle of displacement and return, with families fleeing attacks only to return to destroyed homes and looted food stores weeks or months later. The destruction of homes and livelihoods, as witnessed in this latest attack, compounds the already dire food security situation in a region where millions rely on subsistence agriculture and humanitarian aid.

The Borno State Government and the Nigerian Army have not issued formal statements regarding this specific attack. However, military authorities have consistently maintained that insurgent capabilities have been significantly degraded and that the remaining elements are engaged in desperate acts of violence against soft civilian targets.

Prime Brief Media continues to monitor the security situation in Borno State and the broader Northeast region. We will provide updates as more information becomes available regarding the identity of the victims and the official response to this latest attack.