Two gunmen on a motorcycle stormed a wedding reception in the predominantly Christian village of Tashan Alade, Borno State. They arrived at the open-air venue around 2:00 pm, pretended to be guests, and opened fire on the crowd. The attack occurred as cash was being presented to the newlyweds in a traditional Nigerian custom. The initial shooting killed seven people and injured five others. The injured were taken to a hospital in Maiduguri, where five later died from their wounds. The two gunmen fled on their motorcycle after the attack.
28 Dec 2013 · Tashan Alade, Hawul, Borno
Deaths
12
Injured
0
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
12
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
The attackers escaped before security forces could be alerted due to the village's remoteness. Local media reported that victims' relatives in Maiduguri were praying for them in churches, and families were traveling back to their villages to bury the victims.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
The attack was part of a Boko Haram campaign against Christian communities, which escalated after leader Abubakar Shekau released a threatening video message on Friday, December 27.
Trajectory
This attack was part of a weekend-long pattern of violence in Borno State that included a separate fatal attack on the neighboring Christian village of Kwajaffa and other raids. It highlighted Boko Haram's shift to targeting remote rural Christian communities after being forced out of their urban strongholds in Maiduguri by a military offensive.
Cycle notes
This attack reflected Boko Haram's broader pattern of targeting civilian gatherings and community celebrations to maximize casualties, spread fear, and undermine social cohesion. It mirrors the 23 April 2012 Kaduna church bombings, which targeted Christian worshippers and triggered wider communal violence; the 11 August 2013 Konduga mosque massacre, where worshippers were attacked during religious observance; the 5 September 2013 Gajiram market attack, in which gunmen reportedly blended into a commercial environment before striking; the 21 August 2013 Gamboru Ngala attack, where attackers allegedly used deception and military-style disguises; the 29 September 2013 Gujba College massacre, where students were killed in their dormitories; and the 26 November 2013 wedding convoy attack on the Bama–Gwoza highway, in which wedding guests were targeted while travelling to a ceremony. The incident also occurred shortly after 27 December 2013, when Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau released a message threatening Christian communities, reinforcing the religious and psychological dimensions of the violence. Furthermore, the attack foreshadowed the 29 May 2015 twin bombings in Tashan Alade, demonstrating the continued vulnerability of weddings, religious gatherings, and other community events to insurgent attacks. Collectively, these incidents reflect a recurring pattern of Boko Haram targeting symbolic civilian gatherings, employing deception to gain access to victims, and using mass-casualty violence to intimidate communities and weaken social resilience.
Pattern
Wedding Attack
Related — Armed Attack
Boko Haram terrorists (BHT) attacked the official residence of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Monguno, Borno State. The insurgents fired sporadically, burned down the entire building, and destroyed several vehicles on the premises. Two senior NIS officers were killed: Buture M. Ibrahim, the Head of Border Control, and Otojah, the Head of the Joint Task Force (JTF) at Monguno. Two other officers were injured and taken to Monguno General Hospital
Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists, fleeing the Nigerian military's clearance operations in the Sambisa Forest, launched a surprise attack on the agrarian community of Bayamari. During the attack, the assailants killed seven villagers and four policemen who were trying to protect the people.
Boko Haram jihadists launched a raid on the IDP camp. The attackers entered on bicycles and on foot, using ladders to scale a protective ditch dug around the camp perimeter. They opened fire, killing four IDPs and injuring four others. The gunshots drew the attention of soldiers and police stationed outside the camp, who engaged the militants in an hour-long gun battle. Two terrorists were killed in the firefight, while the rest fled. The attackers were believed to have come to steal food supplies . Hours later, two soldiers were wounded when their patrol vehicle struck a landmine planted by the fleeing jihadists at Freetown village, nine kilometers (five miles) away