Boko Haram has intensified its attacks on Christian communities in Chibok, Borno State, forcing over 4,000 Christians to flee in recent days. The militant group carried out several coordinated raids, targeting the villages of Njila, Banziir, Shikarkir, and Yirmirmug, where they set fire to homes, burned churches, and killed five people.
In the latest attack on Monday, terrorists struck Shikarkir and Yirmirmug in the early hours, displacing more than 1,500 residents.
Eyewitnesses reported that during these raids, Boko Haram militants specifically targeted Christians, threatening them with death unless they converted to Islam. The violence led to the destruction of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa church and caused the loss of livestock, food supplies, and livelihoods.
"We are living in fear," said Ibrahim Yana, a farmer who fled Shikarkir. "They burned down our church and homes. Many of us have lost everything."
Boko Haram, formally known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, has been engaged in a violent insurgency since 2009, targeting Christians, moderate Muslims, and government institutions in an attempt to create an Islamic caliphate. The group became internationally notorious for the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in Chibok, which ignited worldwide outrage and the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.
Since then, Boko Haram has carried out numerous brutal acts, including the killing of tens of thousands, displacing over 2.5 million people, and destroying churches, schools, and entire communities across northeastern Nigeria.
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