MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — August 13, 2025
Hundreds of residents of Kirawa, a border community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, are now spending their days in Nigeria and sleeping in neighbouring Cameroonian villages after a Saturday-night Boko Haram attack triggered mass displacement and heightened fears of renewed night assaults.
According to interviews, residents say they are forced to take refuge on streets, in mosques, and in classrooms across the border, returning to Kirawa in the daytime. The District Head, Abdulrahman Abubakar, confirmed the displacement and appealed for urgent government intervention to restore security and resettle affected families.
The Borno State Police Command and the Emir of Gwoza confirmed the attack but noted that casualty details remain sketchy. Reports vary, with some indicating that three to four soldiers were killed and a schoolgirl, Aisha Aja, abducted.
While some residents claim the incident prompted the withdrawal of troops from Kirawa, the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai stated that it was Cameroonian Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) troops—not Nigerian soldiers—who were attacked, and denied a Nigerian Army withdrawal from the community.
Conflict-monitoring outlet it was reported that Kirawa has suffered multiple insurgent raids in 2025, contradicting claims by community leaders that last weekend’s incident was the first since the town’s resettlement.
