Gunmen on motorcycles and in vans attacked Yakshari village on Saturday morning, killing 22 people—many by throat-slitting—before emptying food stores and taking all the cattle . An unspecified number of women and children were also kidnapped
13 Feb 2016 · Yakshari, Damboa, Borno
Deaths
22
Total casualties
22
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
News of the attacks was slow to emerge due to destruction of telecommunication towers in the area by Boko Haram in previous raids. Vigilantes had to drive 86 kilometers from Damboa to Biu to break the news
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Systematic looting of food stores and cattle indicates subsistence desperation; throat-slitting and kidnapping designed to depopulate agricultural land and acquire forced labor/sexual slaves.
Trajectory
Demonstrates Boko Haram's ability to sustain operations across multiple villages, suggesting intact logistics and command structures despite technical defeat declarations.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier execution-style village raids and resource-looting attacks carried out by Boko Haram, such as the 1 December 2012 Chibok killings and the 15 February 2014 Izghe massacre, reflecting a recurring tactic of combining brutal killings, abductions, and economic predation to terrorize communities and sustain insurgent logistics; it also foreshadowed later Bandits-style raids in northern Nigeria (2018–2023), illustrating a convergence toward hybrid violence blending insurgency with organized rural Banditry targeting livelihoods and civilians.
Pattern
Throat-Slitting Raid
Related — Armed Attack
ISWAP fighters in more than a dozen pickup trucks fitted with machine guns stormed a security post manned by a civilian militia group (local hunters and Civilian JTF) in Mamuri village. The ensuing fight lasted for hours. According to militia leader Babakura Kolo, the militiamen ran out of ammunition, giving the insurgents the upper hand. The attack killed 14 militiamen and a mobile police officer.
Gunmen abducted an aide to former Governor Almakura in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
In the early hours of Sunday, dozens of ISWAP (Islamic State West Africa Province) fighters in gun trucks and on motorcycles attacked the military base in Ajiri, a town in Mafa LGA about 20 km (12 miles) from Maiduguri. Troops fought a two‑hour gun battle, but the insurgents eventually breached the base, forcing troops to withdraw and escape with weapons. The commanding officer of the base was killed; at least six civilians caught up in the fighting were also killed. The attack was one of two simultaneous ISWAP operations that weekend — the other occurred in Rann, Kala‑Balge LGA, where insurgents in six gun trucks attacked a base but were repelled by troops using artillery.