Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents conducted coordinated attacks on scrap metal collectors in Modu and Mugdala communities, Biu Local Government Area, Borno State. A total of 55 people were killed in the attacks, which took place over three weeks. The victims were targeted as they collected scrap metal—a livelihood activity for many displaced and impoverished residents.
12 Jun 2022 · Modu, Mugdala, Kala-Balge , Dikwa, Borno
Deaths
55
Injured
0
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
55
Perpetrators
ISWAP
Response
Borno State Commissioner of Police, Abdu Umar, confirmed the incidents and disclosed that Governor Babagana Zulum had directed security agencies to adopt proactive measures to stop the killings. A security stakeholders' meeting was convened to address the attacks, and the government began working on policy plans to regulate scrap metal collection activities. The Scrap Metal Association stated that the victims were not registered members, noting they were likely IDPs from affected communities who ventured beyond designated safe zones.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Insurgency, targeting of economically marginalized groups, competition for scrap metal resources, weakened security infrastructure in liberated communities
Trajectory
Shows insurgents targeting economically marginalized groups who venture into forests for livelihood, exploiting the desperation of IDPs. The attacks reflect the growing phenomenon of insurgents using scrap metal trade for funding and viewing collectors as either spies.
Cycle notes
The killing of 55 scrap metal collectors directly echoed the 18 May 2026 killing of 27 fishermen in Mafa LGA – all part of a sustained insurgent strategy of targeting civilians engaged in informal economic activities, including loggers, farmers, fishermen, herders, and metal scrap collectors, whom they accused of spying for the military . The method – rounding up victims and shooting them – mirrored the 28 November 2020 Zabarmari rice farmers massacre (43 killed), where farmers were also executed in their fields . The economic driver – displaced populations forced into dangerous livelihood activities to survive – echoed the 29 February 2024 Ngala IDP abduction, where IDPs were abducted while foraging for firewood . The attacks occurred in Biu LGA, reflecting the persistent vulnerability of rural communities in Borno State.
Pattern
Mass killings of civilians
Related — Armed Attack
A group of ISWAP fighters on motorcycles and other vehicles stormed the herding village. The attackers shot fleeing residents, ran others over with their vehicles, and set homes ablaze with civilians still inside. They killed at least 81 people, injured 13 others, abducted seven people, and stole over 1,200 cattle while killing 300 more. An Air Force fighter jet fired shots at the insurgents as they fled, but the attackers returned the following morning, killed a herdsman who had escaped, and set fire to the village.
In a pre-dawn raid, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram (JAS faction) insurgents attacked the Faudiya Islamic School in Geidam. The school, which belongs to the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), was targeted while students were asleep. The attackers arrived on motorcycles, infiltrated the boarding facility, and opened fire. Unlike ISWAP’s typical focus on state infrastructure or specific "enemies," this JAS-style attack was an indiscriminate strike on a religious educational institution.
Less than 24 hours after the assassination of Sheikh Ibrahim Birkuti in Biu, Boko Haram launched a series of coordinated strikes across Maiduguri. The attackers targeted three distinct locations: a church and two separate police posts. Using a combination of IEDs and high-volume gunfire, the insurgents overwhelmed local security details before melting back into the urban residential wards. Police spokesman Lawal Abdullahi confirmed there were seven explosions across the city. The attackers hit the Gwange and Dandal police stations, while the seventh bomb went off next to a Catholic church (St. Patrick’s Church). A bomb hurled at the church missed its target and landed on the street, killing two passers-by. In a shootout with police at the Dandal station, three of the gunmen were killed.