Boko Haram, ISWAP Fighters Set Schools Ablaze in Chibok Community

Suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP fighters have reportedly set school facilities ablaze in Kautikari village, Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State.

The attack was reported to have happened at about 7pm on Saturday, when armed men stormed the community and set fire to primary and secondary school buildings. Early reports said residents fled into nearby bushes as the attackers moved through the area.

No casualty had been confirmed in the first accounts of the incident. Daily Trust reported that the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing the report.

The incident adds to renewed fears around schools in southern Borno, where communities have remained exposed to attacks, abductions and threats from insurgent groups. Reports also linked the attack to broader concern over pupils earlier abducted from Mussa Primary and Junior Secondary School in Askira-Uba, who were said to have been missing for weeks.

Chibok remains one of the most sensitive names in Nigeria’s school-security crisis after the 2014 abduction of schoolgirls from the area. The latest reported burning of school facilities is likely to deepen pressure on security agencies and the Borno State Government to protect rural schools and restore confidence among parents.

Authorities had yet to release a detailed official statement on the Kautikari incident as of the initial reports.

For many families in the area, the reported attack is not only a security matter but also an education crisis, because damaged school buildings can keep children out of class long after the gunmen have left.

Sources: Daily Trust; Daily Post; Blueprint