THOUSANDS of Nigerians were forced to flee Chibok today when Islamist militia Boko Haram seized the town — from which it kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in April.

Militants stormed Chibok in pick-up trucks and on motorcycles, firing indiscriminately as they rode into town, according to local government chairman Bana Lawan.

“Nobody can tell you what is happening there today because everybody is just trying to escape with their lives,” he said.

Dozens of girls escaped Boko Haram’s clutches after April’s mass kidnap, but locals confirmed that none of the escapees were in Chibok when the group took over.

Despite a government-announced ceasefire last month, the terror organisation has continued to advance, setting up what it terms an Islamic caliphate in a 7,700 square mile area of northern Nigeria.

Those fleeing the area say the group has imposed a version of sharia law that sees people whipped for smoking cigarettes and getting their hands amputated if accused of looting.