CHIBOK, Nigeria — Residents of a rural community in northeastern Nigeria are calling for increased military protection after suspected insurgents launched a violent overnight raid on their village.
The attack occurred in Awapul, a settlement located within the Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State. In the early hours of Sunday, April 5, 2026, at approximately 1:30 a.m. West African Time (GMT+1), unidentified gunmen believed to be members of the extremist group Boko Haram entered the town. According to local witnesses, the attackers arrived on motorcycles and spent over an hour shooting into the air and setting fire to critical infrastructure.
While the assault caused significant panic, the Borno State Police Command confirmed that there were no fatalities in this specific incident. Nahum Daso, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and the spokesperson for the command, stated, “There was an attack this morning around 1:30 a.m. in Chibok Local Government, in a village called Awapul. The attack was carried out by unknown men suspected to be Boko Haram. No casualties. It was a destruction of properties.”
The violence has forced several families to abandon their homes. Some victims have reportedly fled to Chibok main town to seek safety. One resident, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, explained that the community is desperate for security rather than aid. “Our plea is simple—not food or clothes. What we need is protection so we can go about our daily activities,” the source said.
Okay News reports that this raid is part of a broader surge in insurgent activity in the region. Less than 24 hours prior, suspected terrorists targeted an Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp—a facility for people forced to leave their homes due to conflict—in Damasak and a police station in Nganzai. Those earlier attacks involved the use of Rocket-Propelled Grenades (RPGs) and resulted in the deaths of four police officers and a local hunter.
In the Nganzai incident, an unserviceable Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was partially destroyed. On Saturday, April 4, 2026, a separate assault on the Mallam Fatori IDP camp in Damasak resulted in the death of 40-year-old Atom Abua, a member of a local volunteer security group, and the destruction of 20 homes.
