Boko Haram invaded the remote village of Mathdaw. The attackers specifically targeted the pastor of the local Church of the Brethren (EYN Church). They shot and killed the pastor and also shot and injured his wife.
4 Apr 2023 · Mathdaw, Biu, Borno
Deaths
1
Injured
1
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
2
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
Not systematically recorded.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
Targeting a religious leader in a Christian-majority area also serves to stoke sectarian tensions
Trajectory
The attack on Mathdaw village was part of a coordinated offensive by Boko Haram and ISWAP.
Cycle notes
This incident mirrored earlier targeted assassinations of Christian religious leaders and church-linked figures in rural Borno and surrounding areas, including the late May 2014 Chibok area pre-abduction wave attacks where Boko Haram killed local Christian leaders and teachers prior to mass displacement, the 2 January 2020 abduction (with execution on 20 January 2020) of Reverend Lawan Andimi (showing continuity in clerical targeting patterns from abduction to ISWAP execution), the 25 December 2011–2014 Christmas-season church raids in Borno and Yobe (notably rural church attacks where pastors were killed during worship or in their homes), and the 2014–2015 series of Boko Haram village incursions in Biu LGA and surrounding Christian enclaves where clergy, teachers, and EYN Church members were specifically identified and executed, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram conducted precision night raids against isolated Christian communities, deliberately targeting pastors and religious leaders (including members of the Church of the Brethren, EYN) to weaken spiritual leadership structures, fracture community resilience, and amplify sectarian fear in the southern Borno–northern Adamawa axis.
Pattern
Targeted Assassination of Religious Leader
Related — Targeted Killing
Two gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a car carrying a Christian family on their way to church for Sunday service. The attackers shot and killed the woman and her child instantly. The husband was rushed to the hospital but died later from his wounds. The couple's other child, who was also in the vehicle, escaped unhurt.
In a precision home-invasion style hit, two Boko Haram gunmen riding a motorcycle approached a residential compound in Damaturu, Yobe State. They knocked on the door of a police officer’s home. The moment the officer answered, they shot him dead before fleeing on their motorcycle. The officer lived in a compound with eight other policemen, but the attackers singled him out, indicating the killing was premeditated. The attack was part of the group’s wider strategy to eliminate security personnel in their domestic spaces, thereby removing any sense of off-duty safety.
Boko Haram gunmen on motorcycles attacked College Pumpo village in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State. The attackers arrived and began shooting sporadically, waking residents from their sleep. They specifically targeted a mini‑shop owned by Modu Zarami, a 35‑year‑old shopkeeper. Zarami was killed in the attack, and his shop was set on fire. Before fleeing, the gunmen were seen looting food items from other shops in the village. The attack was swift, lasting about an hour.