Shekau, Boko Haram leader allegedly killed by the military
The Boko Haram militants on Thursday attacked and reportedly captured Chibok community, where the daredevil terrorists had earlier abducted and held captives more than 200 schoolgirls.
Boko Haram, in the bid to carve out a caliphate in religiously mixed northern Nigeria, has stepped up attacks since it rejected a ceasefire announced last month by the government.
Reuters also reports of another suicide bomb incident in the northern city of Kano, which killed six people, including three policemen as confirmed by a police spokesman said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Kano has often been the target of bombings by Boko Haram during their five-year-old campaign of violence.
Chibok and surrounding areas of Borno state have also been regularly targeted by the militants since the April abductions, which sparked an international outcry.
Chairman of Chibok community in Abuja, Hosea Abana Tsambido, who confirmed the development, on Friday said members of the deadly sect attacked his community in Borno state and that the military and civilian JTF are battling the terrorists for the soul of the village.
“Yes, they invaded Chibok yesterday, around 3pm. I also heard that Chibok is still under attack. I heard that the military and the JTF Civilians are battling them. And I pray that they win this fight so that my community will be safe again.
“Many villagers have escaped the area and many houses have been torched. I also heard that some people were killed but for now I don’t know the number of people that died. We pray that the military and the JTF gain an upper hand and win the battle. That is my prayer,” the chairman said.
Vice Chairman of the Chibok community in Abuja, Mutah Nkeki had raised the alarm of the impending attack on the Chibok community.
Nkeki had told an Abuja based newspaper, The Leadership, that his people from home in Chibok had received information of a planned attack and take over of the town because it is the only secured town in that area.
“I received a call from our people at Chibok that they got Information that the Boko Haram sect members were coming to attack Chibok. Our peolple were frightened. Everybody was looking for where to hide. We, here in Abuja could not sleep. We were all worried but we thank God that this morning, we were told that our people were safe,” Nkeki explained.
The insurgents had abducted and held on to the schoolgirls from the Government secondary school , Chibok 215 days ago with the Nigerian security forces helped by international community still unable to rescue them.
Boko Haram has of late launched territorial acquisition and expansion bid, with some towns and villages intermittently falling into their hands.
Boko Haram, which is trying to carve out a caliphate in religiously mixed northern Nigeria, has stepped up attacks since it rejected a ceasefire announced last month by the government.
In a separate incident on Friday, a suicide bomber killed six people, including three policemen, in the northern city of Kano, a police spokesman said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Kano has often been the target of bombings by Boko Haram during their five-year-old campaign of violence.
Chibok and surrounding areas of Borno state have also been regularly targeted by the militants since the April abductions, which sparked an international outcry.The military has vowed that it will not concede an each of Nigerian soil to militants whose intent is to capture territories it could run as caliphates, with full Islamic laws.
