Chibok Elders Protest Fresh Boko Haram Attacks, Allege Government Neglect

Community elders from Chibok in Borno State have raised fresh alarm over renewed Boko Haram attacks, accusing the federal government of neglecting their plight despite years of violence and repeated appeals for intervention.

Operating under the aegis of the Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA), the elders staged a peaceful protest in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday, calling for urgent federal action to halt what they described as “relentless assaults” on their communities.

Led by KADA National President, Nkeki Mutah, the group described the situation as a “decade of loss,” alleging that the Chibok people are being deliberately targeted.

“Within the last week alone, our community has experienced multiple coordinated attacks,” Mutah said.
“Despite repeated pleas, the security situation remains dire, with little visible effort toward stopping these relentless assaults.”

The protest comes amid a resurgence of violence in Chibok and surrounding communities, more than a decade after the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls, which the elders described as an “open wound.”

According to KADA, at least four major attacks occurred between March 30 and April 5, 2026, with the deadliest incident recorded in Kautikari, the second-largest town in Chibok Local Government Area.

No fewer than 11 people, including a local vigilante leader, Bamto Daka, were killed in the attack.

“They were not mere statistics; they were fathers, sons, brothers, and defenders of their community,” the association said.

Among the victims was Yohanna Peter Yiguda, who was reportedly due to be married two days after the attack.

The elders also reported the destruction of the EYN LCC Church and several homes in Kauthlama and Kwople communities, located about four kilometres from Chibok town.

They further disclosed that insurgents were sighted moving in large numbers through Kwihuma as recently as April 5.

Providing casualty figures, Mutah said no fewer than 451 people have been killed in recent attacks across affected communities.

He noted that 432 deaths were recorded in the Kibaku area between November 2012 and April 2026, while additional fatalities were reported in Kautikari, Kauthlama, and Meyoledi in neighbouring Adamawa State, where displaced residents had sought refuge.

The elders lamented that more than half of the villages in the area have been destroyed, forcing residents off their farmlands and worsening humanitarian conditions.

“Our people have endured unimaginable suffering, fear, displacement, and loss,” Mutah said.

“It is evident that Boko Haram continues to target our people as an ethnic nationality. We therefore plead once again for special protection from authorities at all levels.”

The group issued a five-point demand, including the establishment of a permanent military presence in vulnerable border communities such as Gatamwarwa and Kuburmbula.

They also called for the immediate deployment of additional troops, as well as urgent humanitarian assistance to avert a looming famine among displaced persons.

KADA further urged the government to grant humanitarian organisations access to Chibok and surrounding areas to scale up relief efforts.

The protest ended with a minute of silence in honour of victims and a tribute to military personnel and local vigilantes, whom the elders described as “gallant” despite being outgunned and under-resourced.