MAIDUGURI/MINNA — Boko Haram fighters on Monday night attacked Kirawa, a border community in Gwoza LGA, Borno State, killing one civilian and abducting another, residents and officials said. The militants torched several homes, the palace of the District Head, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Abubakar, shops and other structures before local vigilantes and hunters helped repel the assault, during which one attacker was reportedly killed.
Many residents fled across the frontier into Cameroonian villages. Kirawa, which had hosted a Cameroonian military base before it was dislodged in an attack months ago, has seen renewed violence. Three days earlier, gunmen ambushed travellers on the Kirawa–Pulka road, killing a member of the Civilian JTF and burning six vehicles, locals said.
Senator Ali Ndume (Borno South) condemned the latest raid, calling it “a source of concern and frustrating,” especially for internally displaced people who recently returned home with support from Governor Babagana Zulum. While commending ongoing military operations, Ndume urged deployment of additional troops or platoons to Kirawa, Ngoshe, Agapalwa, Chikide and other vulnerable areas. He also renewed his push for a technology-led campaign—“TEAAM” (Technology, Equipment, Arms and Ammunition, Motivation)—including drones and attack helicopters “as the only way to end the over a decade Boko Haram atrocities.”
On the same day, suspected bandits abducted about 30 people along the Zugurma–Ibbi road near Ibbi National Park in Borgu LGA, Niger State, including a commissioner of the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC), his driver, and a former chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), according to witnesses. The officials were travelling in separate vehicles; other victims were taken from three commercial Sharon buses.
Eyewitnesses said over 100 gunmen stormed the highway around 7:00 a.m., firing into the air and first disabling police at the park entrance. After the shooting subsided, farmers who had taken cover found abandoned vehicles and raised the alarm.
Confirming the incident, police spokesperson DSP Wasiu Abiodun said the attackers destroyed two police patrol vehicles before fleeing with the captives. “Men of the police tactical teams in conjunction with other security agencies and vigilante members are already trailing the kidnappers with a view to rescue the abducted victims and possibly arrest the gunmen,” he said, without indicating if officers were injured.
The twin incidents underscore the widening security challenge: jihadist violence pressing Borno’s border communities while heavily armed bandit gangs intensify kidnappings in the North Central. Authorities in both states said operations to stabilize the corridors and rescue victims are ongoing.
