Gunmen arrived at the busy junction on two motorcycles while people were conducting their daily businesses. They ordered everyone around to leave the area in their own interest. Shortly after giving the order, the gunmen opened fire indiscriminately, shot in the air, and fled on their motorcycles. One person was shot dead, and two others were injured.
12 Nov 2012 · Kawo bus stop, Kano Municipal, Kano
Deaths
2
Injured
1
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
3
Perpetrators
Unidentified Armed Actors
Response
Acting Police Public Relations Officer Mr. Mustapha Abubakar confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He stated the injured were taken to the hospital and security had been beefed up in the area to ensure the arrest of the attackers
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Boko Haram’s intent to spread fear in public spaces, disrupt daily life, and showcase mobility in urban attacks.
Trajectory
This incident was a precursor to the 2013 Checkpoint phase, where Boko Haram would begin setting up their own illegal tolls and order-and-obey stations on the outskirts of the city. The transition from secret assassinations to public verbal commands marked an increase in the group's perceived operational security.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier motorcycle-borne intimidation and shooting attacks carried out by suspected members of Boko Haram, such as the 4 November 2012 drive-by shooting in Kano and the 28 May 2012 killing of Igbo traders in Maiduguri, reflecting a recurring tactic of using motorcycles for rapid hit-and-run assaults in crowded urban areas to spread fear, disrupt daily life, and evade security forces.
Pattern
Urban Motorcycle Gun Attacks
Related — Insurgency
Boko Haram insurgents attacked two 330KVA power transmission towers in Kasaisa, Damaturu. The attackers used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to blow up the towers, which were part of the Gombe–Damaturu–Maiduguri transmission line. The destruction cut off electricity supply from Gombe to Yobe and Borno states, plunging residents of both states into darkness.
Following news of the Maiduguri crackdown, police in Kaduna attempted a preemptive raid on a suspected Maitatsine hideout in the Tudun Wada and Rigasa districts. The sect members, who had fortified residential buildings, launched a massive retaliatory strike. The violence quickly turned into an urban siege, with sect members using narrow alleyways to ambush security forces. The Nigerian Army was eventually called in, utilizing aerial bombardment and heavy ground fire to flush out the insurgents.
A major confrontation erupted between Boko Haram insurgents and Nigerian security forces in the Pompomari (Pompari) district of Damaturu, Yobe State. The insurgents, who had been gathering in the area for several days, launched a coordinated assault using heavy weaponry and multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Unlike previous “hit-and-run” tactics, this was a sustained pitched battle that lasted over 30 hours and devastated residential areas. Boko Haram fighters advanced from their stronghold in the suburb, engaging soldiers and police in fierce gunfights, setting buildings ablaze, and laying siege to the area. The violence prompted the state government to declare a dusk-to-dawn curfew.