5,000 Nigerians flee to Cameroon as Boko Haram seizes Borno town

More than 5,000 Nigerians have fled the country into neighbouring Cameroon after Boko Haram terrorists seized the border town of Kirawa in Borno State.

Residents and community leaders disclosed this on Friday, October 3, 2025.

Insurgents in Borno State, the epicentre of a 16-year conflict driven by Boko Haram and its splinter group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have upped their attacks this year against civilians and security forces.

Since the start of the year, terrorists have overrun some army bases and communities in Borno State, only to be beaten back by the military after seeking reinforcements.

The assault on Thursday night was said to have forced the district head Abdulrahman Abubakar to abandon his palace, which was burned along with a military barracks and dozens of homes.

“I was left with no option but to flee to Cameroon. Residents boarded trucks to seek refuge across the border, while others ran to Maiduguri,” Abubakar told Reuters by phone.

Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack, releasing a video showing fighters torching the barracks while chanting “victory belongs to God” as flames lit the night sky.

Residents said Kirawa was now deserted.

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“Boko Haram is in control,” said Dauda Hassan, who escaped to Pulka, a neighbouring town where troops are stationed.

Thursday’s attack followed a September 19 assault on Banki, another border town, where Boko Haram fighters overran a military barracks, forcing soldiers to flee and seizing weapons.

The head of the town’s development group, Yakubu Mabba Ali Kirawa, called for urgent military reinforcements.

He added that local vigilantes and residents remain the only security presence after a multinational military task force withdrew following an attack in August.

The Star