A male suicide bomber disguised as a passenger targeted a bus that was preparing to depart for Kano. The man passed through a security checkpoint but set off a metal detector. When guards told him to stand aside, he forced his way onto the bus and detonated explosives. The explosion completely destroyed the bus and damaged other vehicles at the station. The bomber killed himself and initially 13 others, with four more injured victims later dying in the hospital, bringing the final death toll to 17. More than 30 people were injured.
24 Feb 2015 · Tashan Dan-Borno Motor Park, Potiskum, Yobe
Deaths
17
Injured
27
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
44
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Yobe State Police Commissioner Marcus Danladi confirmed the attack, stating the bomber "was disguised as a passenger" and "detonated the bomb inside a bus teeming with people." He blamed the transport union for failing to conduct proper screenin
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Targeting of crowded civilian spaces, use of suicide bombers to disrupt daily life and transport systems.
Trajectory
This attack was the fourth suicide bombing in Potiskum within a span of six weeks (11 January, 15 February, 22 February, and 24 February). It demonstrated Boko Haram‘s persistence and its ability to strike the same town repeatedly despite heightened security. The attack also occurred on the same day as a separate suicide bombing in Kano, marking the first time the group had carried out simultaneous suicide attacks in two major commercial centres.
Cycle notes
The bombing followed a pattern of suicide attacks targeting bus stations and markets in Yobe State that began with the 15 February 2015 Damaturu bus station bombing and continued with the 22 February 2015 Potiskum market attack using a young girl. The tactic of forcing entry past a security checkpoint was a variant of the method used in the 14 April 2014 Nyanya bus station bombing in Abuja, where a suicide bomber drove a car into the terminal.
Pattern
Suicide Bombing
Related — Bombing/IED
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Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters attacked a Nigerian Army convoy using two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs). The attackers rammed the explosives-laden vehicles into the convoy, killing dozens of soldiers.