Boko Haram kills 30 near Chibok

least 30 people were killed in Boko Haram raids on two villages in Borno State near the town of Chibok, a community leader and resident told the Agence France Presse (AFP) on Friday. The attacks reportedly targeted the villages of Thlaimakalama and Gatamarwa, which were torched by the militants, said Pogo Bitrus, head of the Chibok Elders Forum. “From information coming in from residents of the two villages, at least 30 people were killed in the attacks,” he added. Luka Haruna, who lives in Chibok, some 15 kilometres away, gave a similar death toll and added: “The two villages were completely destroyed.” Chibok gained notoriety last April when Boko Haram fighters kidnapped 276 schoolgirls, causing global outrage and a social media campaign to release them. Fifty-seven managed to escape but 10 months on, 219 are still being held. Bitrus said the latest attacks happened about noon on Thursday. The insurgents were passing through the two neighbouring villages as they fled the nearby town of Askira Uba, which they invaded on Monday evening, he added. Hundreds of Boko Haram fighters stormed Askira Uba, burning homes and public buildings, despite a regional campaign to crush their six-year insurgency. Residents who fled the town said they appealed to troops based in Chibok some 25 kilometres away but they allegedly refused to deploy. The militants fled when soldiers were eventually sent. Some left towards Gwoza, on the border with Cameroon, and the Sambisa Forest, where Boko Haram has camps. Bitrus said: “The insurgents mowed everything in sight as they fled Askira Uba and these two villages which they passed through became targets.