Gunmen attacked the convoy of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, as he returned from a religious event at Masalaci Murtala Mosque in Kano. Militants driving SUVs and motorcycles threw an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and opened fire on the Emir’s vehicle. The Emir survived with minor injuries, but five people were killed, including his driver and three royal guards, while several others were wounded.
19 Jan 2013 · Zoo Road, Kano, Kano Municipal, Kano
Deaths
5
Injured
1
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
6
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Police and military forces repelled the attack. The Emir and his wounded son were flown to London for medical treatment . The Kano State Government, in response to the attackers' use of motorbikes, banned commercial motorcycle taxis, a move that affected tens of thousands of livelihoods and sparked debate about its potential to drive further poverty and criminality
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Boko Haram’s strategy to intimidate traditional rulers who opposed their ideology and to destabilize Kano’s social order.
Trajectory
This attack on the second-highest Muslim leader in Nigeria represented a major escalation in Boko Haram's campaign, demonstrating the group's willingness and capacity to strike at the very heart of the traditional and religious establishment.
Cycle notes
This attack directly echoes the August 2012 failed attempt on the Shehu of Borno and the 3 August 2012 attempt on the Emir of Fika, demonstrating a sustained campaign by Boko Haram to eliminate influential traditional voices
Pattern
High-Profile Assassination Attempts
Related — Targeted Killing
A group of heavily armed Boko Haram gunmen launched a simultaneous assault on a police station and a commercial bank in Misau, Bauchi State. The attackers used a bomb and automatic rifles to storm the police station, killing five officers and freeing all detainees before setting the building ablaze. They then broke into a branch of Afribank, shooting a civilian guard or bystander, and stole an undisclosed amount of cash. The attack, which occurred at about 3 pm, caused widespread panic and injured several residents.
Boko Haram insurgents attacked the town of Michika, the headquarters of the Michika Local Government Area in Adamawa State. During the attack, they abducted Reverend Lawan Andimi from his home. Reverend Andimi was a prominent figure who served as the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for Michika LGA and was a pastor with the Church of the Brethren (EYN). After his abduction, a video was released showing him appealing for help, while also expressing his unshaken faith in God.
Following the abduction and brutal killing of 19 Nigerian soldiers by a Tiv militia on 10 October, the Nigerian Army launched a coordinated reprisal operation between 20 and 24 October. Soldiers from the 23rd Armoured Brigade went from village to village, rounding up unarmed Tiv civilians, separating the men from the women and children, and then executing them. The operation also involved the widespread destruction of homes, shops, and public buildings.