Gunmen riding on two motorcycles opened fire in Kano city, killing three people, including a police constable. The attack occurred in the Sharada industrial area at an abandoned factory around 5:40 PM. Victims included the constable and a security guard. Two died on the spot, while the third succumbed to injuries in hospital. The attack came just hours before the start of Ramadan fasting.
19 Jul 2012 · Sharada industrial area, Kano Municipal, Kano
Deaths
3
Injured
1
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
4
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
The Kano State Police Command increased patrols in industrial zones. The incident added significant pressure on the state government to implement a total ban on commercial motorcycles, which were the primary mode of transport for these hit squads.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Boko Haram’s tactic of using motorcycles for quick-hit assassinations; weak urban policing; symbolic timing with Ramadan.
Trajectory
Demonstrated Boko Haram’s reliance on motorcycle hit squads for targeted killings in Kano, a tactic repeated in later years against clerics, officials, and civilians.
Cycle notes
This incident mirrors the motorcycle-borne hit-and-run shootings carried out by Boko Haram in Maiduguri in late 2011 and early 2012 — including the 9 January 2012 assassination of an SSS operative in Biu, the 5 February 2012 killing of an SSS officer in Damaturu, and the 9 February 2012 targeted shooting of a Boko Haram critic in Kano. It also foreshadows the continuation of the same tactic in the 2013 polio vaccination killings: on 8 February 2013, five female vaccinators were shot dead in Kano, and on 18 February 2013, nine health workers were killed in coordinated attacks across Kano, Borno, and Yobe. Together, these events illustrate the sustained use of motorcycle-mounted gunmen for rapid, low-risk assassinations and intimidation across multiple years and target groups.
Pattern
Motorcycle Drive-by Shootings
Related — Armed Attack
Boko Haram insurgents launched coordinated attacks on rice farmers in multiple locations across Borno State, specifically targeting those harvesting their crops during the peak harvest season. The attackers, who arrived on motorcycles and divided themselves into three groups, surrounded farmers working in rice fields in Karkut and Koshebe villages in Mafa LGA. The assailants used knives and cutlasses to slaughter their victims, with some sources also reporting the use of firearms against those who attempted to flee. At least 13 farmers were confirmed killed, with many others still missing at the time of reporting. According to militia sources, the insurgents threw the bodies of some victims into a ditch and abducted an undetermined number of people. Four farmers survived the attack with slashes on their throats and were taken to a hospital in Maiduguri. The attack came just hours after a separate incident in which a businessman was killed and four others abducted on his farm near Bama town
Gunmen launched a two-pronged evening assault. One group targeted the Divisional Police Station, using heavy gunfire and explosives to overwhelm the guards, while a second group moved through the residential quarters, opening fire on civilians in their homes.
Boko Haram gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on farmers working in their fields in a drive-by shooting. The attackers rode past the farmlands and fired at the farmers. Four farmers were killed instantly, while many others fled into the bush. Some of the missing farmers later returned to the village after the attack.