Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has canceled his trip to Chibok, the Nigerian town that saw nearly 300 schoolgirls taken by the militant group Boko Haram more than a month ago, for security reasons.
The BBC reports that Jonathan was supposed to stop by the village on Friday en route to Paris, in what would have been his first visit since the abductions. Now, however, he will fly directly to France, where he will meet with global leaders to discuss Boko Haram in a summit.
The BBC reports that Jonathan was supposed to stop by the village on Friday en route to Paris, in what would have been his first visit since the abductions. Now, however, he will fly directly to France, where he will meet with global leaders to discuss Boko Haram in a summit.
Chibok is located in Nigeria's Borno State, where attacks by Boko Haram are not unusual. Just on Tuesday, hundreds of Boko Haram militants swarmed three villages in the region. Nigeria's army has not been able to control the group's actions, leaving the region in a frightening, lawless state. But local residents, unable to rely on the government for protection, fought off the attack on their own. CNN reports:
In the three villages attacked Tuesday, gunmen arrived in dozens of all-terrain vans, armored tanks and motorcycles, but villagers quickly mobilized and engaged the attackers in a prolonged battle. "They attacked Menari and killed around 60 people and burned some homes before proceeding to Tsangayari and Garawa villages," resident Algoni Ahunna said. When news of the attack filtered out, people trooped out from nearby villages carrying arms. Locals seized an armored tank, three all-terrain vans and 90 motorcycles from the attackers, residents said.
Frustration with the government over its inability to cope with the threat posed by Boko Haram has spread globally.
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