By Ibrahim Mohammed
Suspected Boko Haram fighters have again attacked Chibok in Borno State, killing at least 18 people, including a local pastor, and abducting several young girls, authorities and community leaders said yesterday.
The assault, which occurred late Saturday night, marks the most serious raid on the community in more than a year and has revived painful memories of previous abductions.
Residents said the gunmen rode into town on motorcycles and pickup trucks shortly before midnight, shooting sporadically and setting buildings on fire. Three churches, The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), St Peter’s Anglican, and a Pentecostal assembly were razed.
“They surrounded the ECWA church while the night-guard tried to warn people,” said Musa Adamu, a resident who fled into the bush. “The pastor was urging women and children to run. They shot him before burning the building.”
Local vigilantes and troops from the 20 Task Force Brigade in Damboa engaged the attackers but were outnumbered. Reinforcements arrived after the insurgents had withdrawn toward the Sambisa Forest, witnesses said.
Community leaders confirmed that several teenage girls were taken, though the exact number remains unclear.
Borno State emergency officials began evacuating survivors on Sunday morning while security patrols combed the surrounding villages.
Governor Babagana Zulum condemned the assault and ordered an immediate investigation.
“This renewed violence against innocent citizens is unacceptable,” he said in a statement from Maiduguri.
Humanitarian workers reported that more than 200 residents fled overnight to Dalori and Muna IDP camps.
Analysts say the attack underlines Boko Haram’s continuing capacity to strike symbolic targets despite ongoing counter-terrorism operations.
“Destroying churches and abducting girls sends a deliberate message of fear,” said Dr Kabiru Musa, a Yola-based security expert.
For many in Chibok, the message feels tragically familiar. The community first drew world attention in 2014 after more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped. Eleven years later, the town is once again mourning its dead and searching for its daughters.
