14 Nov 2014
Boko Haram
take control of Chibok
Nigerian militant group seize the bush town where over 300 school girls were abducted
Government troops fled when overwhelmed by Boko Hiram
Boko Haram militants have seized control of Chibok, the town in north-east Nigeria where they abducted nearly 300 schoolgirls in April, officials said on Friday.
In a move that appeared to make a mockery of Nigerian government pledges to protect the town, gunmen from Boko Haram rode in on pick up trucks and motorbikes on Thursday, forcing hundreds of residents to flee into the bush.
“Chibok was taken by Boko Haram. They are in control,” said Enoch Mark, a Christian pastor whose daughter and niece are among the hostages being held.
The remote bush town, which lies in the heart of Boko Haram’s strongholds in Nigeria’s Borno State, came to world attention earlier this year after the plight of its kidnapped schoolgirls became the focus of a global social media campaign, called #BringBackOurGirls.
The Nigerian government, which was heavily criticised for its slow response to the abduction, subsequently promised to provide extra security to re-assure residents. But attacks have continued on other nearby towns throughout the ensuing six months, and in late October, there were warnings that it was only a matter of time before Chibok itself was targeted.
Reports that the town is back in Boko Haram’s clutches are likely to be embarrassing for Nigeria’s president, Goodluck Jonathan, who announced his formal candidacy for the 2015 elections on Tuesday. It also comes just weeks after the Nigerian government claimed that a ceasefire deal was underway with Boko Haram, which would lead to the schoolgirls’ imminent release.
According to Mr Mark, the latest attack on Chibok happened late in the afternoon, with the militants destroying mobile phone communication masts with rocket-propelled grenades.
Pogo Bitrus, the chairman of an elders’ forum in Chibok, said he believed that the group had had inside information about security in the town. The leader of a local vigilante group that protects the town had left in order to get new ammunition supplies for his mens’ shotguns, he claimed, allowing the militants unchallenged access.
“He was due to come today, so it looks like they knew what was happening,” he said. “Chibok is now a ghost town with only Boko Haram in control.”
A still from the video released by Boko Haram in April claiming to show the schoolgirls (AFP)
At least seven parents in Chibok have died since their daughters went missing, with many locals blaming the trauma of the kidnapping. During the abduction, some 58 girls managed to escape, most of whom are now enrolled in other schools around the region.
The Nigerian has not yet commented on the latest attack.