A bombing and shooting attack by suspected Boko Haram militants on a beer parlour in the town of Mubi, Adamawa State. The attackers used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and small arms to target civilians at the social venue.
28 Dec 2011 · Mubi, Mubi, Adamawa
Deaths
0
Injured
15
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
15
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Following the attack, security forces increased patrols in Mubi. This specific incident contributed to the federal government's decision to declare a State of Emergency in parts of the North East just days later on December 31, 2011.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Ideological opposition to alcohol consumption, intimidation of civilians, demonstration of operational reach beyond Borno.
Trajectory
It was a precursor to the even larger and more devastating January 2012 "Kano Blitz" (185+ killed). The attack also contributed to the federal government's declaration of a state of emergency on 31 December 2011.
Cycle notes
The attack directly echoed earlier Boko Haram tactics of targeting beer gardens and social venues, such as the 27 June 2011 attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri (25 killed). The choice of a beer parlour as a target was a recurring feature of the group's campaign against what it considered "Western" or "un-Islamic" social spaces. The attack also prefigured the 2012-2013 wave of targeted killings of civilians in recreational venues.
Pattern
Soft target attack (beer parlour)
Related — Bombing/IED
A powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was detonated at a crowded football field in the Kabang area of Mubi. The blast occurred just as the final whistle blew and spectators were beginning to leave the pitch. Eyewitnesses described the explosives as either being delivered by a vehicle or carried by a suicide bomber who mingled with the crowd. The explosion was so intense it destroyed nearby shops and left the field littered with the remains of victims, many of whom were children and young men.
An explosion struck a church in Gadaka, Yobe State, during Christmas services on the morning of 25 December 2011. The blast, which occurred on Christmas Day (or, according to some reports, during a Christmas Eve vigil), injured multiple worshippers.
In a watershed moment for the insurgency, a suicide bomber drove a Mercedes-Benz laden with explosives into the parking lot of the Force Headquarters (Louis Edet House) in Abuja. The bomber attempted to trail the convoy of the then-Inspector General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, into the secure premises. When intercepted by security in the car park, the device was detonated. This was the first documented suicide car bombing in Nigeria's history.