Boko Haram jihadists on motorcycles attacked a group of loggers collecting firewood in Jinene village. The gunmen shot six people dead. They also abducted five girls who had joined the loggers to collect firewood. Some of the loggers managed to escape and returned to the Ngala IDP camp to inform soldiers. In a related attack nearby, the gunmen shot and injured two shepherds and made off with some 500 goats belonging to IDPs
15 Jan 2018 · Jinene, Jere, Borno
Deaths
6
Injured
2
Kidnapped
5
Total casualties
8
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
The Nigerian military and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) have been deployed to the area, and search operations have been launched for the five abducted girls.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Disrupting rural livelihoods (firewood collection) to create fear, economic hardship, and force dependence on insurgents.
Trajectory
Boko Haram continued low-cost hit-and-run attacks using small armed groups on soft civilian targets such as loggers and resource gatherers to maintain pressure near Maiduguri.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier Boko Haram attacks including the 13 May 2017 assault on farmers preparing fields in Borno, the 19 November 2017 Dimge farmers’ execution and beheading, the 30 December 2017 Maiwa loggers massacre, the 8 January 2018 Kaje loggers attack and abductions, and the 10 February 2017 Mussa village raid involving livestock theft and looting, reflecting a recurring pattern of small-unit, motorcycle-based raids on rural economic actors, combining killings, abductions, and resource theft to disrupt livelihoods, extract supplies, and sustain territorial control around vulnerable communities and IDP-linked populations.
Pattern
Loggers Targeting
Related — Armed Attack
Armed confrontation between Boko Haram members and local vigilante group outside Damboa town, resulting in deaths and arrests of sect members carrying automatic weapons
Two gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on troops manning a military checkpoint in Kano city. The sudden ambush injured one soldier, while the attackers fled the scene before reinforcements arrived. The incident heightened tension in Kano, which had already witnessed multiple Boko Haram-related shootings and bombings earlier in 2012.
A gunfight broke out at the Sani Abacha Specialist Hospital in Damaturu, capital of Yobe State. Military personnel had brought in a wounded Boko Haram suspect for treatment when militants attacked the hospital gate. The battle quickly spread to other parts of the city, including the governor‘s residence. For several hours, the insurgents, armed with automatic rifles and explosive devices, engaged the Joint Task Force (JTF) “Operation Restore Order” in a fierce, citywide confrontation. Police and military reinforcements were brought in to contain the violence, which spilled over into the following day and left dozens dead. At least 20 civilians and five security personnel (three policemen and two soldiers) were killed according to the Red Cross, while a hospital official counted 34 bodies in the morgue and gave a final toll of 43 dead.