Nine Boko Haram insurgents arrived on motorcycles and attacked farmers working in their fields with machetes. The attackers also carried rifles but did not use them, likely to avoid alerting the military stationed nearby. Residents reported that farmers were preparing their fields for the rainy season after being assured by authorities they could farm this year. Following the attack, a local militia (Civilian JTF) pursued the insurgents to Sojori village, killing four of them, while the rest escaped.
13 May 2017 · Amarwa village, Konduga, Borno
Deaths
11
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
11
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Local militia members tracked the attackers to Sojori village and killed four insurgents, while the remaining five fled.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
By killing farmers at the start of the planting season, the group ensures the city of Maiduguri remains dependent on expensive, vulnerable aid convoys.
Trajectory
The government declared the land safe for farming in 2017 to restart the economy; Boko Haram used the machete to veto that declaration without firing a single shot.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier targeted assaults on agricultural communities by Boko Haram—such as the 19 November 2017 Dimge killings and the 13 August 2016 Jema’a farm attacks—reflecting a recurring tactic of attacking farmers during cultivation periods to disrupt livelihoods and food production; the deliberate use of silent weapons to evade nearby military detection also echoes prior stealth-oriented killings, while the subsequent Civilian JTF pursuit and neutralization of some attackers highlights a persistent pattern of local vigilante counteraction in response to insurgent raids.
Pattern
Agrarian Massacre
Related — Armed Attack
More than 100 Boko Haram insurgents on motorcycles attacked Kuda village while residents were holding a wake (funeral vigil) for a local community leader. The attackers opened fire indiscriminately on the mourners, resulting in the deaths of at least 24 people, primarily women and children.
Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members attacked a gum arabic factory in the Zajeri Industrial Area of Maiduguri. The assailants stormed the premises around 1:00 PM, demanded money from the Indian expatriate workers, and then opened fire. The attack killed two Indian nationals and injured three others. The attackers fled in an unmarked vehicle, chanting “Allahu Akbar.” Reports confirmed that the gunmen stole about ₦99,000 (≈ US$600) before escaping.
In a massive nighttime assault, dozens of Boko Haram gunmen launched a coordinated raid on the Gombe State Police Command Headquarters and a nearby divisional station. The attack began with the detonation of several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to breach the perimeter, followed by a heavy firefight using assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). The insurgents aimed to overawe the state's security apparatus and likely targeted the armory and detention cells.