Eleven people were killed in Zaranga village, Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State after suspected Boko Haram fighters struck in the early hours of Monday, deepening fears about security in the region.
Residents said the attackers arrived while people were still asleep, opened fire and set several homes on fire. The assault prompted many villagers to flee into nearby bushes and forested areas to escape the violence.
Local search efforts recovered 11 bodies, and witnesses say a number of people remain unaccounted for. Search teams and security personnel are conducting sweeps in the surrounding forest to locate those still missing and to assess the full scale of the attack.
Survivors described scenes of chaos. One resident told reporters his wife and two other family members were among the dead, and said families are now coping with both grief and the loss of shelter after their homes were burned.
The strike has intensified concern over persistent insecurity in parts of Adamawa where extremist groups continue to operate. Community members said the latest raid follows a pattern of early-morning attacks that aim to unsettle residents and force displacement into less secure terrain.
For now, search operations continue and the immediate priorities are locating missing people and accounting for those who fled into the bush. The attack leaves Zaranga coping with deaths, destroyed homes and heightened fear as security teams work to restore order and determine how many more residents remain at risk.
