Nigerian officials say Boko Haram kidnapped another 20 girls last week, adding to the hundreds of school girls that have yet to be rescued after the militant group abducted them in April.
The latest girls were kidnapped Thursday several miles from where over 200 girls were taken on April 14 from their boarding school in the village of Chibok, located in the northern Borno State, The Wall Street Journal reported. They are thought to be held in a remote area of Borno, near the border with Chad and Cameroon, according to the BBC.
The armed militants drove up in a tractor trailer early Thursday in the village of Garkin Fulani and began forcing women into the truck, the Associated Press reported. Members of a local vigilante group attempted to rescue the victims.
"We tried to go after them when the news got to us about three hours later, but the vehicles we have could not go far, and the report came to us a little bit late," Alhaji Tar, a member of the group, told the AP.
The militants also took food in the attack that occurred just as the village was getting ready for its market, which occurs weekly. The attackers often wait for market day to strike to increase the chances of stealing food and abducting people for ransom, the WJS reported.
Attacks by Boko Haram militants on Nigerian civilians have increased in recent weeks. Last week, hundreds of people were reportedly killed in attacks on three villages, the AP reported. The residents say they did not receive help from the military, even after requesting protection when rumors of an attack spread.
Vigilante groups have formed to aid in what critics say is the military's and government's inability to protect citizens. But the attacks keep coming as Boko Haram continues its deadly campaign to form an Islamic state.
"These people have a free hand to do whatever they want," Jibrin Ibrahim, director of the Center for Democracy, told the WSJ. "It's just that simple."
