A group of loggers was traveling under security escort to a bush area to collect firewood when they were ambushed by Boko Haram insurgents. The attackers opened fire, killing three loggers. The remaining loggers fled to Dikwa, leaving behind a pickup truck.
5 Mar 2018 · Near Dikwa town, Dikwa, Borno
Deaths
3
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
3
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Babakura Kolo and Ibrahim Liman, leaders of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), confirmed the attack to AFP. Kolo stated: “Three loggers were killed in the attack while the rest fled to Dikwa and left behind a pickup van”
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Boko Haram’s strategy of targeting civilians to punish perceived collaboration with the government and to instil fear.
Trajectory
In March 2018, there was a continuation of low-intensity hit-and-run attacks on soft civilian targets, such as loggers, in rural areas near Dikwa and Maiduguri. This represented a sustained wave of Boko Haram violence aimed at civilians participating in economic activities.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier Boko Haram attacks including the 08 January 2018 – Kaje village loggers’ massacre near Maiduguri, 15 January 2018 – Jinene village attack on firewood collectors involving killings and abductions, 13 December 2014 – Gumsuri attack targeting civilians engaged in rural livelihoods, 24 April 2016 – Alau village raid involving arson and civilian targeting, and 10 February 2017 – Mussa village attack involving destruction of rural economic activity, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram deliberately ambushes loggers and other rural workers—often operating under or near security escort—to disrupt subsistence economies, deter movement into forest zones, and sustain insecurity across forest-fringe communities near Dikwa and Maiduguri.
Pattern
Loggers Targeting
Related — Ambush
Suspected Boko Haram gunmen dressed in Nigerian Army uniforms attacked worshippers leaving the central mosque in Dumba village, Kukawa LGA, Borno State, after early morning prayers. The attackers positioned themselves at a crossroads outside the mosque and opened fire indiscriminately. Defence spokesman Brigadier General Chris Olukolade confirmed 35 civilians were killed and 14 wounded, describing the massacre as a reprisal: “Boko Haram people attacked the village on the ground that they have refused to cooperate with them, that they refused their message.” The attack occurred on Monday but, due to the extreme remoteness of Dumba and the telecommunications blackout imposed during the State of Emergency, news of the massacre did not reach the public until Friday, 23 August.
Men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) clashed with gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members in Gambouru ward, Maiduguri. The clash occurred when suspected gunmen attacked a military patrol vehicle near Kofa Biyu on Sir Kashim Ibrahim Way. A sustained shootout ensued, causing civilians to flee for their lives. An attendant at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) confirmed that two bodies of civilians were brought to the hospital by a JTF van. The Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Gideon Jibrin, confirmed the clash and stated that some civilians were injured by stray bullets. The JTF spokesman, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, stated he was initially unaware of the shootout but would investigate.
Boko Haram insurgents ambushed a security-escorted convoy of commuters and goods-transporting vehicles traveling along the Maiduguri-Bama-Banki route near the border town of Banki in Bama LGA. According to an eyewitness, the attack occurred when one of the vehicles in the convoy developed a mechanical fault. The security forces accompanying the convoy concentrated their attention on the disabled vehicle, creating an opportunity for the insurgents to strike. The attackers emerged from their hiding positions, opened fire, and killed five people: two commuters, one driver, and his two assistants. They then abducted seven women, set the convoy ablaze, and fled