As President Buhari's plane was preparing to land at the Maiduguri International Airport, ISWAP launched at least five 122mm GRAD rockets into the city. The rockets landed in several communities, including Ngomari Ayabe, Bulumkutu, and Ajilari Cross, which are located within a five-kilometer radius of the Air Force Base and the airport.
23 Dec 2021 · Ngomari Ayabe, Maiduguri, Borno
Deaths
5
Injured
20
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
25
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
Despite the explosions, the President landed at 11:40 AM and proceeded with his itinerary, which included commissioning the Oriental Hotel, a flyover at Custom Area, and addressing troops at the Maimalari Cantonment. He declared the insurgency was in its "final phase."
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Symbolic timing to challenge presidential claims of victory and highlight insurgent resilience.
Trajectory
This attack followed a similar rocket barrage on election day in 2019, showing that ISWAP had maintained and refined its "Indirect Fire" capabilities over three years.
Cycle notes
The Final Phase Fallacy — Recalls the 2015 "technical defeat" claims. Whenever the presidency declares a "final phase" or "imminent end" to the war, the group typically responds with a high-visibility strike to prove their continued operational presence.
Pattern
The VVIP Ambush
Related — Bombing/IED
A coordinated bombing and shooting attack targeted a military checkpoint in the Guddum area of Maiduguri, Borno State, as worshippers were leaving a nearby mosque after Juma‘at prayers. An improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated near the checkpoint, followed by gunfire from militants. The blast killed four worshippers and caused a stampede. A military spokesman initially confirmed an explosion near the Monday Market, but later claimed the incident was an armed robbery that killed three people, not a bomb blast, attributing it to “armed robbers” who may have also been Boko Haram members
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.
Local hunters were on patrol after receiving an alert that Boko Haram insurgents had rustled cattle from communities in Jere LGA. Their vehicle hit a landmine planted by the insurgents. As they called for backup, a second vehicle carrying about 20 hunters hit another landmine while pursuing the fleeing insurgents. The explosions killed seven hunters and injured 19 others.