A female suicide bomber detonated explosives at screening areas where Muslim worshippers were gathering for Eid prayers marking the end of Ramadan. The bomber, described as a 10-year-old girl, detonated her device at the Layin Gwange screening area.
17 Jul 2015 · Layin Gwange, Damaturu, Yobe
Deaths
43
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
43
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, confirmed the explosions and provided casualty figures
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Boko Haram’s intent to desecrate religious celebrations, maximize casualties, and use child bombers to shock communities.
Trajectory
This specific attack in Damaturu demonstrated a shift from the sophisticated VBIEDs (car bombs) of 2012 toward the cheaper, harder-to-detect human-borne explosive vests that defined the mid-2010s insurgency.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier female and child suicide bombings targeting crowded civilian gatherings carried out by Boko Haram, such as the 27 July 2014 Kano female suicide bombing and the 10 January 2015 Maiduguri market bombing involving a young girl, reflecting a recurring tactic of deploying women and children to infiltrate large public gatherings—markets, prayer grounds, and bus stations—where security screening is limited in order to maximize casualties.
Pattern
Suicide Bombings at Religious Gatherings
Related — Bombing/IED
A bomb exploded at a roadside market in Kawuri village. The attack occurred in the evening around 8:00 p.m. at a tea shop where locals had gathered for night-time socializing.
Two female suicide bombers detonated at the University's Center for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development and the Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme, killing only themselves
A military vehicle transporting troops along the Damboa-Maiduguri Road struck a buried Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The blast destroyed the vehicle and killed two Nigerian soldiers instantly.