Boko Haram Seizes Town Of Kidnapped Schoolgirls

Boko Haram militants seized the town Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on Thursday. The group kidnapped 300 schoolgirls from this town in April and now has control of the area.

Reportedly the terrorist group fought in the Adamawa state and then attacked the predominantly Christen Chibok. The insurgents drove into the town on Thursday night and “started shooting at all possible targets,” said resident Danladi Saleh.

Bana Law, chairman of the Chibok local government, said, “Nobody can tell you what is happening there today because everybody is just trying to escape with their lives.”

By Friday Boko Haram seized the town and hoisted its black flag to represent the victory.

After the Islamic terrorist group abducted the schoolgirls from the town in April, the Nigerian government and foreign partners have been focused on finding the missing girls. Recently the leader of the group Abubakar Shekau said the girls had been married off and converted to Islam. Boko Haram selling off the girls and taking the town three months before a national election symbolizes how the government has struggled to protect its people.

Emman Usman Shehu, an activist for the Bring Back Our Girls campaign, said, “It should have been obvious to everyone that Boko Haram was going to target Chibok. It shows a lack of compassion, a lack of empathy, and a lack of concern.”

Samuel Yama, a brother of a missing schoolgirl, told the Wall Street Journal , “We’ve been putting our hope and trust in the government, and on several occasions, we have not seen any positive results.”

Boko Haram plans to destroy the current government and impose strict Sharia law throughout Nigeria. As the militants have fought the Nigerian army and killed civilians, more than 17,000 have died since 2011.

Chibok isn’t the first town Boko Haram has taken. The group controls much of rural Nigeria and last month militants conquered the town Mubi and renamed it “City of Islam.”

When Boko Haram seized the town Chibok, the area only had a few Nigerian soldiers protecting it. These soldiers fled when the terrorist group entered the town, making Chibok an easy target.

Boko Haram Seizes Town Of Kidnapped Schoolgirls