Again, Boko Haram strikes Chibok community

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents on Sunday attacked Awapul, a community in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, setting homes and shops ablaze.

According to residents, the attackers arrived in large numbers around 1:30 a.m., firing sporadically and causing widespread destruction of property. Some victims have reportedly fled the area for safety, relocating to Chibok town.

According to The Punch, ASP Nahum Daso, spokesperson for the Borno State Police Command, said there were no casualties.

“There was an attack this morning around 1:30 a.m. in Chibok Local Government, in a village called Awapul. The attack was carried out by unknown men suspected to be Boko Haram. No casualties; it was primarily destruction of properties,” he said.

Residents said the attackers operated on motorcycles for over an hour. One local, who requested anonymity, called on the government to provide protection, saying, “Our plea is simple — not food or clothes. What we need is protection so we can go about our daily activities.”

The attack comes less than 24 hours after suspected Boko Haram fighters targeted an IDP camp in Damasak and the Nganzai Divisional Police Headquarters, where four police officers and one civilian hunter were killed. Security forces reportedly repelled the insurgents’ attempt to overrun the towns, though some property, including an unserviceable Armoured Personnel Carrier, was partially burnt.

In another related incident on April 4, at about 2:40 a.m., terrorists attacked the Mallam Fatori IDP Camp in Damasak, targeting a CJTF/Hunters post. One member of the Hunters Group, Atom Abua (40), was killed, and about twenty thatched houses and other properties were destroyed.

The latest strike underscores the continued threat Boko Haram poses to communities across Borno State, with residents appealing for urgent government intervention to restore security and allow normal life to resume.