Governor Babagana Zulum’s convoy was ambushed by gunmen while he was on a trip to Baga to distribute relief materials and evaluate the state of the town for the planned return of IDPs. As the convoy approached the town, which was supposedly "liberated" by the military, insurgents opened fire from concealed positions. The Governor was unharmed and safely evacuated to a military base in Mile 4, but the attack led to a major public confrontation between civil and military leadership.
29 Jul 2020 · Baga, Kukawa, Borno
Deaths
0
Injured
15
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
0
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
Governor Zulum famously confronted the military commander at the Mile 4 base, accusing the army of internal sabotage. He questioned how over 1,000 soldiers could not secure a town less than 5km from their base
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
ISWAP sought to kill Zulum to maintain the image that the “Caliphate” still ruled rural Borno.
Trajectory
The July 29 ambush was the first of a series of targeted strikes in 2020 intended to stop the Baga Resettlement Project. It transformed the Governor from a cautious administrator into a vocal critic of military theater operations.
Cycle notes
Mirrors the 2018 seizure of Baga by ISWAP. Each time the state tries to re-establish civil authority in this fishing hub, the insurgents respond with high-intensity violence to protect their "tax base."
Pattern
The VVIP Ambush
Related — Ambush
Boko Haram insurgents ambushed and killed seven fishermen and injured 15 others in Baga, a fishing community on Lake Chad in Borno State. The attackers burned local boats and fishing nets used for catching fish. Fisherman Ibrahim Gambo, who brought his wounded brother to Maiduguri for treatment, stated: "They killed seven fishermen, injured 15 others and burnt some local boats and nets used for catching fish"
In a late-night ambush, armed gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on a joint military and police patrol in the remote northeastern town of Mubi, Adamawa State. The attack, which took place around 9:00 pm on 13 March, killed a soldier, an off‑duty policeman, and three civilians caught by stray bullets. Three soldiers also sustained serious injuries. The insurgents reportedly first detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) before opening fire with automatic weapons. The following day, a military source told Premium Times that Nigerian forces lost four men in the attack.
Unknown gunmen ambushed a police patrol vehicle along the Bauchi-Gombe road in Bauchi city, the capital of Bauchi State, killing four policemen who were on night duty and injuring two others.