A coordinated suicide bombing by two young male attackers targeted the Kasuwan Gonjo mosque and the adjoining second-hand clothes market in Mubi, Adamawa State. The first bomber infiltrated the mosque, mingling with worshippers who had gathered for the Zuhr (afternoon) prayer. He detonated his explosives just minutes before the prayer was scheduled to begin at around 1:20 pm local time. The explosion ripped through the mosque, causing severe structural damage and an unknown number of casualties. In the immediate aftermath, terrified survivors, including worshippers, traders, and shoppers, fled the mosque towards the nearby market. A second bomber, who had been waiting outside, detonated his device approximately 200 metres away near the butchery section of the market, striking the fleeing crowd.
1 May 2018 · Mubi, Mubi, Adamawa
Deaths
86
Injured
58
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
144
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo directed security agencies to "beef up security in Mubi and its surrounding areas, especially markets and places of worship," and condemned the "desecration of a place of worship by criminals"
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
By attacking a mosque and a nearby market simultaneously, the insurgents exploited the natural movement of people between these two high-density social hubs.
Trajectory
The attack demonstrated a sophisticated understanding of human psychology—targeting worshippers in a mosque, then striking fleeing survivors at a nearby market where they sought safety
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier coordinated suicide attacks on religious gatherings carried out by Boko Haram, such as the 16 March 2016 twin suicide bombing at a mosque during Fajr prayers and the 21 November 2017 mosque bombing in Mubi, reflecting a recurring tactic of staging sequential explosions—first inside a place of worship and then among escaping survivors—to maximize casualties and panic.
Pattern
Suicide Bombings at Mosques & Religious Gatherings
Related — Bombing/IED
Two suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers (both male) detonated explosives at a crowded market near Muna Garage on the outskirts of Maiduguri, killing 12 people and injuring dozens of others.
Six female suicide bombers carried out a coordinated attack on Damboa town. Two separate bomb blasts occurred in Shuwari and Abachari neighborhoods around 8:30 p.m. According to AFP sources, the attack targeted people returning from celebrating the Eid al-Fitr holiday (marking the end of Ramadan). After the initial suicide bombings, the perpetrators fired rocket-propelled grenades into the crowds that had gathered at the scene, driving the number of casualties higher.
Two female suicide bombers were intercepted by soldiers and civilian militia at about 9:00 p.m. in Mandarari village, near the town of Konduga in Borno State. The attackers, who were trying to infiltrate the area, had been scouting the village. When they realised they had been uncovered, they detonated their explosives, killing themselves. There were no other casualties.