Fear has gripped residents of Kirawa and its surrounding border communities in Borno State after a deadly Boko Haram ambush claimed lives and destroyed vehicles along the Kirawa–Pulka road on Friday. The attack, which happened around 3 pm, left one Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) member dead while several passengers sustained injuries. Six vehicles, including trucks and a passenger bus, were set ablaze by the insurgents, forcing some victims to flee into the bush for safety.
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, expressed deep concern over the incident, lamenting that since Cameroonian troops were dislodged from their Kirawa base last month, the community has been left without any military presence. According to him, the vacuum has exposed villagers to repeated terrorist assaults, with only a handful of hunters, vigilantes, and CJTF members struggling—often unsuccessfully—to hold back insurgents.
“It is very disheartening,” Ndume said, “that my people are living in perpetual fear. Yesterday’s ambush showed how vulnerable they are. One of our brave CJTF was killed, many people are still missing, and vehicles were burnt down. This cannot continue.”
The lawmaker, who once chaired the Senate Committee on Army, called on military authorities to urgently deploy troops—even a platoon—to Kirawa and neighboring communities. He also commiserated with the family of the slain CJTF member, prayed for quick recovery of the injured, and urged authorities not to leave border residents at the mercy of insurgents.
For villagers in Kirawa, life has become a daily gamble between survival and tragedy, with security forces stretched thin and hope resting on whether reinforcements will finally arrive.
