Suspected ISWAP/Boko Haram insurgents attacked Kautikari, a community about 20 kilometres from Chibok in Borno State, on Saturday evening. They killed a 50-year-old man and set two classroom blocks on fire before the Joint Task Force stationed in the area pushed them back.
ASP Nahum Daso, the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the attack to Channels Television by telephone. He quoted the Divisional Police Officer in Chibok as saying the attackers killed the man and burned the classrooms before security operatives repelled them.
This attack comes at a time when farming season has just started in the region. These remote communities are most vulnerable, and the recent string of attacks has raised fresh concerns about food security and safety for farmers.
Kautikari is located in Chibok Local Government Area — the same area made infamous by the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School Chibok. The community remains close to areas where insurgents still operate.
The Saturday attack follows an even more disturbing incident last month. In May, suspected Boko Haram fighters abducted an unspecified number of students from Mussa-Biri Primary School and Junior Day Secondary School in Askira-Uba Local Government Area, also in Borno.
An eyewitness told Channels Television that the terrorists arrived on a large number of motorcycles shortly after troops on routine patrol had left the area. They took students from both the primary and junior secondary schools in the Mussa-Biri community.
Those abducted students are still in captivity. No group has claimed responsibility, and the government hasn't announced any rescue operation.
In response to that abduction, the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Borno State staged a peaceful protest. They marched to the Government House in Maiduguri, demanding the release of the pupils, students, and teachers taken from the two schools.
Yusuf Ibn-Tom, the NUT's National Publicity Secretary, led the protesters. He urged both the federal and state governments to intensify efforts to secure the release of the abductees. He also called for a safe and conducive learning environment in schools across the state.
"Today we are here at the Government House in Borno State to submit our letter, appealing to the government to do its best to rescue our learners and also create a safe environment where teaching and learning can continue to thrive in our communities," Ibn-Tom said.
"We are also appealing to the government to remove the fear in the minds of teachers and parents so that teaching and learning can take place under dignified conditions."
Mustapha Malumbe, the Chief of Staff to Governor Babagana Zulum, received the protesters. He assured them that the state government is committed to strengthening security, not only in schools but across all sectors of the state.
The Saturday attack shows that despite government assurances, insurgents still have the capacity to strike rural communities. With students still missing from the May abduction and farming season underway, the security situation in Borno remains tense.