On April 14 this year, Boko Haram abducted 234 pupils from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok in Borno State and since then have returned to the area to carry out more raids. Over the weekend, they attacked several villages on the outskirts of the town, burning down churches and according to eyewitness reports, the soldiers on duty fled for dear life.
According to local residents, dozens of people were killed in the raids on villages roughly 10 kilometres, outside of Chibok. Well armed, Boko Haram appeared to far better equipped than the soldiers guarding the villages and faced with the overwhelming odds, the men of the Nigerian Army took to their heels. Timothy James, a Chibok resident, said:
“The attackers went to churches with bombs and guns. From what I gathered, dozens of worshippers, including men, women and children were killed.” Enoch Mark, a Chibok leader, added: “We cannot tell the number of dead bodies but I was told the attackers burnt at least three churches to the ground.
The military did not responded to distress calls after the attack began as they just went and got a hiding place in the bush.” This event is likely to raise further questions about the capability of the Nigerian Army to combat Boko Haram. US defence experts have questioned the capacity of the Nigerian military to deal with the insurgency, pointing out that corruption, a lack of motivation and fear of the enemy has hampered the fight against terrorism.
