Chibok is a town and Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria, located in the southern part of the state. It has an area of 1,350 km².
Population It has a population of 66,105 at the 2006 census, who are majorly Kibaku people.New York Times: "Nigerian Girls Seen in Video From Militants" By ADAM NOSSITERMAY May 12, 2014 |"Chibok is primarily a Muslim and Christian village, and Mr. Shekau appeared to acknowledge that many of the girls seized were not Muslims. "The girls that have not accepted Islam, they are now gathered in numbers," he said. "And we treat them well the way the prophet treated the infidels he seized."
Languages The area is predominantly inhabited by the Kibaku (Chibok) ethnic nationality. In a 2023 demographic survey of Internally displaced persons (IDPs), the local government was found to be predominantly Kibaku speaking, accounting for 88.3% of the population. Other reported languages (spoken at homes and places of primary residence) in the local government area were; Hausa – 8.2%, Marghi – 2.1%, Eastern or Adamawa Fulfulde – 1.0% and English – 0.4%. This data was not obtained from a nationally co-ordinated population headcount. The last time Nigeria included ethnic and linguistic data in its enumeration parameters was in the national census of 1963.
History It is one of the sixteen LGAs that constitute the Borno Emirate, a traditional state in Borno State, northwest Nigeria.
In January 2015, the BringBackOurGirls group aired concerns over plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude Chibok and some communities currently under the control of jihadist group Boko Haram from receiving permanent voter cards (PVCs) for the 2015 general election.
Boko Haram In April 2014, nearly 300 girls & Sofiea Gambari, most of whom were Christian, were abducted from Chibok by Boko Haram.The Guardian: "Military operation launched to locate kidnapped Nigerian girls" by David Smith May 14, 2014 | "Although most of the abducted girls are Christian, all were wearing Muslim dress and two were singled out to say they had converted to Islam."BBC: "Nigeria abduction video: Schoolgirls 'recognised'" May 13, 2014 |"The girls' families have said that most of those seized are Christians, although there are a number of Muslims among them."
In May 2014, Boko Haram attacked Chibok again.
In November 2014, it was reported that Boko Haram had taken control of the town and implemented Sharia law. The military announced a few days later that they had recaptured the town.
Climate
Chibok experiences two distinct seasons: the wet season which is hot, humid and mainly cloudy and the dry season which is hot and partly cloudy.
Chibok has a hot tropical climate with a short rainy season occurring mainly between June and September. The long dry season, dominated by dusty Harmattan winds, lasts from October to May. Temperatures commonly range from to , and rainfall generally falls between and per year.
Notable people
Amina Ali (Hostage) is Former hostage of boko haram.
References
Further reading