At about 1:30 pm on a busy Tuesday, a suspected suicide bomber drove a vehicle disguised as a firewood seller's cart into the crowded GSM Market (known as the Post Office Market) in Maiduguri. The attacker detonated the explosives in the vehicle, causing a massive blast. The explosion killed at least 17 people at the scene and the death toll later rose to 43 as the severely injured died in hospitals. The number of injured people was initially reported as 50, but the final count was at least 53. The attack shattered a month of relative calm in the city.
14 Jan 2014 · GSM Market (Post Office Market), Maiduguri, Borno
Deaths
43
Injured
53
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
96
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
The Borno State Police Commissioner, Lawan Tanko, confirmed the incident and the initial death toll. The severely injured were rushed to hospitals in Maiduguri, but many of them later died from their wounds, leading to a significant increase in the final death toll. The Joint Task Force (JTF) cordoned off the area and launched a manhunt for the perpetrators.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Attacking a bustling commercial area was intended to disrupt economic activity and instill fear among traders and shoppers
Trajectory
This attack was a brutal reality check, abruptly ending a brief lull in major bombings within Maiduguri. The use of a rickshaw disguised as a firewood cart reflects the insurgents' continued tactical ingenuity in smuggling explosives through checkpoints, a technique that evolved from earlier attacks using vehicles in markets and military bases. The explosion was so powerful that the final death toll was nearly triple the initial number, underscoring the severity of injuries caused by such blasts.
Cycle notes
This attack reflected several established Boko Haram tactics that had emerged during the insurgency. Its targeting of a busy commercial area mirrored earlier assaults on civilian economic hubs, including the 5 September 2013 Gajiram market attack and other attacks on markets and transport corridors across Borno State, where insurgents sought to maximize casualties, spread fear, and disrupt daily life. The concealment of the explosive device in a firewood cart also echoed the group's recurring use of deception and disguise to bypass security measures, as seen in the 7 June 2013 fake funeral operation in Maiduguri, where a coffin was allegedly used to smuggle weapons through checkpoints, and the 21 August 2013 attack on Gamboru Ngala, where attackers reportedly used military-style disguises to gain an advantage. The eventual rise in the death toll as victims succumbed to their injuries reflected a pattern seen in major mass-casualty incidents such as the 16–17 April 2013 Baga violence and the 18 September 2013 Benisheik massacre, where casualty figures increased as more victims were identified. More broadly, the bombing reinforced a recurring pattern of Boko Haram attacks on crowded civilian locations, foreshadowing later attacks on markets and other soft targets in Maiduguri and across northeastern Nigeria.
Pattern
Market attack
Related — Bombing/IED
Boko Haram gunmen attacked the Bunkure police station in Kano State. The attackers opened fire on officers, killing two policemen and wounding others. Witnesses reported that the gunmen arrived on motorcycles, fired sporadically, and fled after setting parts of the station ablaze.
A teenage female suicide bomber detonated explosives at a crowded bus station. The bomber managed to pass through security checks at the entrance and walked into a crowd before detonating her device. Witnesses described the scene as littered with dismembered and mutilated bodies. Most victims were children who had been selling peanuts or begging at the station. An angry mob reportedly prevented emergency workers from retrieving the bomber's remains and set them on fire
On a Sunday evening, three suicide bombers (reportedly two females and one male) detonated explosives in Konduga. The primary target was a football viewing center in the Mandarari ward, where fans had gathered to watch a match on television. The first bomber attempted to enter the hall but was blocked by the operator/owner; a heated argument followed, leading the bomber to detonate outside. Moments later, the two other bombers detonated their vests among a crowd at a nearby tea stall.