Four female suicide bombers approached a checkpoint on the outskirts of Madagali town on the weekly market day. Local vigilantes challenged them and attempted to search them. The bombers then detonated their explosive vests. Two of the bombers had babies strapped to their backs who also died in the blast. The explosions killed the bombers, the two babies, and two self-defense fighters. Several other people were injured. A fourth bomber was reportedly shot by soldiers and detonated before reaching her targe
13 Jan 2017 · Madagali, Madagali, Adamawa
Deaths
6
Injured
15
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
21
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Major Fadare Akintoye, Public Relations Officer of the 228 Military Taskforce in Mubi, confirmed the attack, stating that three of the female suicide bombers detonated themselves as soon as they were discovered, while the fourth was killed by the military
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Continuing the January pressure on Madagali to prove the Sambisa Clearance (Dec 2016) had failed to stop the export of suicide cells.
Trajectory
This attack signaled that the insurgents had prioritized this specific town as a target of choice due to its proximity to the Sambisa forest and its role as a regional trade hub.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier multi-bomber attacks on civilian targeting by Boko Haram—such as the 9 December 2016 Madagali market bombings and the 7 March 2015 Maiduguri blasts—reflecting a recurring tactic of deploying multiple attackers in coordinated or near-simultaneous strikes to maximize casualties and panic; it also reinforces a pattern of repeat targeting of Madagali within a short time frame, underscoring a strategy of sustained pressure on specific urban centers through clustered suicide operations.
Pattern
Female teenage suicide bomber deployment and checkpoint attack
Related — Bombing/IED
A car bomb exploded in Nyanya, near the site of the April 14 bombing that killed 75 people. The bomb was concealed in a vehicle that drove up to a police checkpoint. A man was seen getting out of the car and running away before the vehicle exploded, setting off a chain reaction that destroyed six cars
In a pre‑dawn coordinated assault, approximately 70 Boko Haram gunmen launched simultaneous attacks on three strategic locations in Damboa, Borno State, about 80‑100 km south of Maiduguri. The insurgents used a combination of assault rifles and locally fabricated bombs (IEDs) to target the town’s primary security infrastructure and its economic hub. The attackers struck the local police station (the Divisional Police Headquarters), the police barracks, and a branch of First Bank. The gunmen set fire to parts of the police barracks, looted the bank, and engaged security personnel in a prolonged shootout before retreating toward the nearby Sambisa Forest.
A suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device at Muna Garage, a busy transport hub on the outskirts of Maiduguri. The explosion killed the bomber and one other person instantly. A Mercedes Benz car with registration number AX 571 ABJ, parked by the roadside, was damaged by the impact of the blast.