Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram attacked the bush meat section of Damboa market, Borno State, opening fire on local hunters who were selling their catch. At least 18 hunters were killed on the spot. Witnesses reported that the attackers stormed the market in the afternoon and shot indiscriminately. Conflicting accounts suggested the motive: some said the Islamists were angered by hunters selling pork (forbidden in Islam), while others believed it was revenge against hunters forming vigilante groups to resist Boko Haram.
21 Jan 2013 · Damboa, Damboa, Borno
Deaths
18
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
18
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
The Borno State Deputy Governor visited the town, received a briefing from District Head Alhaji Abba Ahmed, and directed security personnel to allow residents to go about their normal businesses while urging cooperation between the military and local communities to provide credible information leading to the arrest of perpetrators .
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Elimination of grassroots resistance, the proximity of Damboa to the Sambisa Forest (providing easy ingress/egress), and the rejection of local traditional groups (hunters) who served as the eyes and ears for the military.
Trajectory
This attack marked the transition of Damboa from a peaceful trading hub to one of the most contested towns in the insurgency. The targeting of hunters was strategic—hunters possessed intimate knowledge of the bush paths used by the insurgents, making them the group's most dangerous local adversary.
Cycle notes
This incident directly echoes earlier Boko Haram attacks on civilian leisure and commercial activities documented throughout 2012, including the 13 April 2012 attack on a football viewing centre, the 13 May 2012 attack on card players in Kano, and the 16 September 2012 attack on ludo players in Bauchi. The targeting of hunters selling bush meat specifically reflected the group's ideological enforcement campaign, similar to the 9 May 2012 market attack in Maiduguri. The method—attackers arriving in a private vehicle, carrying out a rapid operation, and fleeing—was a signature Boko Haram tactic refined throughout 2012 and carried into 2013. The Damboa attack also prefigured continued targeting of markets and civilian gathering places throughout the 2013-2014 period, including the devastating market bombings that would follow.
Pattern
Market Raids & Vigilante Retaliation
Related — Armed Attack
Gunmen struck Awi community in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, abducting three Fulani women
Boko Haram fighters, dressed in military uniforms and driving vehicles painted in army colors, approached the base from Gubio in neighboring Borno State. The soldiers at the base, expecting reinforcements from their colleagues in Gubio, mistook the attackers for friendly troops and opened the gates. Once inside, the insurgents launched a fierce attack. The soldiers tried to fight back but were overwhelmed by the attackers' superior firepower, which included anti-aircraft guns, while the troops were limited to AK-47 rifles and unreliable machine guns.
Boko Haram fighters launched a lethal raid on two villages in Guzamala LGA: Mallam Moduri and Kijimatari. Utilizing the cover of midnight, the insurgents infiltrated the villages and used "cold weapons" (knives and machetes) to slit the throats of 12 residents while they slept or were caught in their homes. Four others were injured in the melee.