A cross-border community in north-east Nigeria was thrown into panic over the weekend after suspected Boko Haram fighters staged a late-night assault that left soldiers dead, homes destroyed, and a schoolgirl abducted.
Kirawa, in Borno State’s Gwoza Local Government Area, lies directly across a narrow river from Cameroon. Its position has made it both strategically important and vulnerable, residents say. The attack on Saturday began around 9:30 pm and raged for hours, with militants engaging the Multinational Joint Task Force before setting fire to shops, vehicles, and homes.
“They took a junior secondary schoolgirl named Aisha Muhammad Aja, burnt property, and terrorised the entire town,” said Yakubu Mabba Ali, head of the local development association. “Many people crossed into Cameroon to survive the night.”
Police confirmed the attack but said many residents had not yet returned, making it difficult to establish a full casualty figure.
Community leaders are now pressing the federal government to station a military brigade in Kirawa to prevent future incursions, citing the ease with which fighters can cross the border.
Some residents returned to the town on Sunday, but sources say the abducted schoolgirl is still missing and many families remain displaced. The MNJTF reportedly pulled out of Kirawa shortly after the attack, and the Nigerian military has yet to comment publicly.
