No fewer than 11 people are feared dead following an early-morning attack by suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Zaranga village in Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

The attackers reportedly stormed the community on Monday, opening fire on residents and setting houses ablaze, forcing several villagers to flee into surrounding bushes and forests.

A resident, who spoke with journalists on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak, said 11 bodies had been recovered as of Monday, while several other residents remained unaccounted for.

“For now, 11 dead bodies have been recovered. Many people are still missing. Search teams and security personnel are in the forest searching for the missing people,” the resident said.

Another resident described the attack as devastating, saying his wife and two other members of his family were among those killed.

“My wife and two of my family members were also killed during the early morning invasion of my village,” he said.

Following the attack, residents and security personnel reportedly began searching nearby forests for people who fled the community during the assault and those whose whereabouts remained unknown.

The casualty figure could not initially be independently verified, while the extent of damage caused by the attackers remained unclear.

Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Adamawa State Police Command were unsuccessful.

However, a later update from the Chairman of Gombi Local Government Area, Markus Ishaya, put the death toll at 12 in an attack on Nzangula village in Guyaku Ward, also in Gombi LGA.

He said two people were injured, one woman was abducted, while an EYN Church, three houses and two shops were vandalised or burnt.