Journeying by day through Borno state is a tense , nervy experience . But for some , nightfall in this part of northeastern Nigeria has become truly frightening with the threat from Boko Haram seemingly everywhere . This state has been a springboard for a wave of indiscriminate bombings , kidnappings and assassinations perpetrated by this exceptionally violent militant Islamist group whose name translates to `` Western education is sin '' in the local Hausa language . Yet it was n't until recently , when hundreds of schoolgirls were snatched at gunpoint from a boarding school as they slept in their beds , that this brutal insurgency really grabbed the world 's attention . The terrifying and audacious nature of this raid in the dead of night under a hail of gunfire and explosions sent shock waves far beyond Nigeria 's borders . When a CNN crew made the perilous journey to Chibok almost a month after the girls ' abduction , they discovered the attack had left an indelible mark on this community . Locals described fearing the onset of nightfall when they felt most vulnerable , most abandoned by the outside world . Police fled . Before their village was stormed , some residents claimed friends and relatives in surrounding towns had warned them the feared extremists were on their way in a convoy of cargo trucks , pickups and motorcycles . They said they reported this to local authorities that night . The police , they said , called for reinforcements but none came . Everyone , including the police , fled into the bush , leaving the girls asleep in their dorms . The gunmen overpowered the school 's guards and herded the girls onto the waiting trucks . The trucks then disappeared into the dense forest bordering Cameroon , a stronghold for the terror group . Authorities do not know where the girls are being held . `` It was horrific , it happened in the night , it was very dark . But the sound of gunshots , explosions everywhere , '' recalled Daniel Muvia , who witnessed the attack firsthand with his family . `` We had to run away from our homes . We had to run into the bushes for our lives . Fear is all over . Fear is everywhere . '' The memory of that horrifying night on April 14 and the fear of further attacks like it has forced men like Muvia to take matters into their own hands . Armed only with machetes , homemade bow and arrows and any other improvised weapons they can find , the community 's men come together each evening to patrol their village . Their nightly vigil consists of a cautious walk around their village , led by the thin light from their small torches . Occasionally they 'll improvise a road block by dragging a tree on to the dirt track to block vehicles . It 's a pitiful defense against the heavily-armed militants , but they hope and pray they can protect their sleeping families against further violence and destruction . Resilience . But fear is gradually giving way to resilience here , as Chibok 's residents grow tired of waiting for outside help to arrive . Nigeria 's government has been forced to defend its response to the crisis , with President Goodluck Jonathan roundly criticized for waiting three weeks to speak to the nation about efforts to find and free the girls . And the military 's campaign to subdue Boko Haram has had little success since a state of emergency was declared in Nigeria 's north a year ago this month . During the day , Chibok returns to something like normality with its vibrant market a focal point . But the physical scars from April 's attack are brought sharply into focus once again -- the burned-out shell of the girls ' school stands as a reminder of the scale of the destruction that fateful night .
Night abduction by Boko Haram of school girls from Nigerian village shocked world . The incident has sparked outrage in Nigeria and the United States over what many see as a cover-up that allowed militants to abduct hundreds of schoolgirls. Men in village of Chibok forced to patrol their community at night . Nigerian authorities criticized for their response to the crisis .