ISWAP released a 56-second propaganda video showing the execution of 11 Christian men. The footage, produced by the Islamic State's Amaq news agency, depicted masked militants in black and beige uniforms standing behind blindfolded captives dressed in orange jumpsuits—a style familiar from previous ISIS execution videos. One captive in the center was shot dead, while the other ten were forced to the ground and beheaded. A militant speaking in Arabic and Hausa stated: "This message is to the Christians in the world. Those who you see in front of us are Christians, and we will shed their blood as revenge for the two dignified sheikhs, the caliph of the Muslims, and the spokesman for the Islamic State"
26 Dec 2019 · Borno
Deaths
11
Injured
0
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
11
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the killings in a statement and on Twitter, stating: "I am profoundly saddened and shocked by the death of innocent hostages at the hands of remorseless, godless, callous gangs of mass murderers that have given Islam a bad name through their atrocities." He urged Nigerians not to let terrorists divide the country along religious lines: "We should, under no circumstance, let the terrorists divide us by turning Christians against Muslims because these barbaric killers don't represent Islam and millions of other law-abiding Muslims around the world"
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
To incite religious conflict within Nigeria, forcing a wedge between Christian and Muslim communities.
Trajectory
Represented the aesthetics of the caliphate phase. By late 2019, ISWAP fully adopted the high-production visual language of ISIS Central (orange jumpsuits, choreographed beheadings), moving away from local guerrilla identities to project a global jihadist image.
Cycle notes
Mirrored earlier insurgent attacks including 25 September 2019 – execution of an Action Against Hunger aid worker following failed negotiations, 13 December 2019 – execution of four remaining abducted aid workers after prolonged captivity, 18 July 2019 – abduction of humanitarian personnel near Damasak as bargaining assets, 2014–2015 Boko Haram hostage killings of civilians and foreigners for leverage, and broader ISIS global execution campaigns (2014–2019) using staged media productions, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Islamic State West Africa Province employs highly choreographed executions as both coercive and propaganda tools—targeting specific identity groups, amplifying sectarian narratives, and aligning its media strategy with global jihadist aesthetics to maximize psychological impact and international visibility while reinforcing its ideological positioning.
Pattern
Beheading
Related — Targeted Killing
Two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed Sheikh Bashir Kashara, a prominent Wahhabi cleric, at his home in Maiduguri. One of his students was also killed in the attack. Kashara, who was well-known for his weekly Islamic programme on Borno State-run radio, was a vocal critic of Boko Haram's ideologies, particularly the group's stance that Western education is a sin. The police officer who confirmed the attack noted that while investigations had commenced, the "modus operandi" of the attack pointed most strongly to Boko Haram as the perpetrator.
Following days of intense urban warfare during the first major Boko Haram uprising, the group’s founder and spiritual leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was captured by the Nigerian Army. He was reportedly found hiding in a goat pen at his parents‑in‑law’s house, with a wound to his arm that had already been treated. Yusuf was transferred to the custody of the Nigeria Police Force at their headquarters in Maiduguri, where he was interrogated. Shortly after the transfer, Yusuf was killed while in police custody. Although authorities initially claimed that he was shot while trying to escape, a video later emerged showing him under interrogation while in handcuffs before being executed in a public manner.
Gunmen forced their way into the home of a Muslim cleric, Sheikh Usman Muhammad, and shot him dead. The attackers then broke into the home next door and shot dead a retired prison guard who was their neighbor.