No fewer than 7,000 people have been sacked from villages around Chibok by Boko Haram insurgents, the International Organisation for Migration said on Wednesday.
According to IOM, an estimated 4,449 people or 740 households have deserted Chibok since February 25, “seeking safety, following attacks or threats of attacks in some neighbouring villages”.
“These movements are in addition to the estimated 300 people who fled to Chibok town around February 10,” it said during a press briefing.Chibok became prominent few years back after suspected Boko Haram members invaded a school and whisked away over 200 girls.
“The staff also report that approximately 2,000 individuals fled from Kaya village, near Chibok town, to (the nearby town of) Damboa recently, in search of safety”, it added.
Also, a spokesman for the Chibok community, Manasseh Allen, stated that the neighboring towns were struggling to accommodate those who had fled in recent days.
“We don’t have the place to settle them, especially now that schools in the area have reopened,” he said.
“The general Sambisa area is still infested with Boko Haram.
“The misconception is that with the takeover of Camp Zairo (the group’s main base in the forest), Boko Haram has been defeated.
“There are so many villages from where Boko Haram fighters have not been cleared”, he added.
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