Nigerian army regains Chibok from Boko Haram
Print Edition
THE Nigerian army said yesterday that it had recaptured the northeastern town of Chibok, where Islamic militants abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in April, provoking a wave of global outrage.
Control of Chibok is crucial to the reputation of the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and the military, which have both come under fire at home and abroad for their failure to rescue the girls.
The army recaptured the town from Boko Haram militants late on Saturday, spokesman General Olajide Olaleye said in a text message.
“Mopping up ops ongoing. (The) town is now secured,” he said.
The operation came days after Jonathan on Tuesday announced his bid for re-election, vowing to defeat Boko Haram whose brutal five-year insurgency has plagued his first term.
Leading elder Pogu Bitrus said Chibok was recaptured in a joint operation with local vigilantes known as the Civilian Joint Task Force, who back up the military in several parts of the northeast where Boko Haram is active.
He said the vigilantes fought inside Chibok while army soldiers “stayed outside the town to mop up the insurgents trying to escape.”
Boko Haram fighters had captured the town on Thursday after a battle lasting several hours that local officials said left many victims among both the insurgents and the local militias.
Several residents said the army had fled the assault, leaving the vigilantes to fight on their own against Boko Haram.
There was no immediate information about any casualties from Saturday’s battle for the town, which witnesses say is virtually empty of residents.
Chibok, in the northeast Borno state, has been under a global media spotlight since Boko Haram kidnapped 276 schoolgirls there in April, most of whom are still being held.
The Islamists stormed the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok on the evening of April 14 and forced the students onto trucks in a mass abduction.
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