A two‑phase attack by Boko Haram insurgents on Buni Gari town, Gujba LGA, Yobe State, located on the fringes of the Sambisa Forest. Phase 1 (Thursday, 13 April): Insurgents abducted and killed Abba Sheti Gawi (aged 40) after he went into the bush to cut firewood. A second resident was sent back to the community to report the incident and instruct people to come and recover the body. Phase 2 (Friday, 14 April): Believing the attackers had left, community members—mostly youths—went into the bush to retrieve the body. They were ambushed by the insurgents, who tied their hands behind their backs and executed them at close range. The Nigerian Army’s 27 Task Force Brigade recovered eleven corpses from the bush
13 Apr 2023 · Buni Gari, Gujba, Yobe
Deaths
10
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
10
Perpetrators
Boko Haram
Response
The Nigerian Army’s 27 Task Force Brigade, stationed in Buni Gari, moved to the scene after gunfire alerted them but found that the insurgents had already fled. Soldiers recovered eleven corpses from the bush, including that of the man killed on Thursday.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
The initial victim, Abba Sheti Gawi, was killed while collecting firewood, a daily survival activity for many in the region. This reflects how basic livelihood activities expose civilians to insurgent violence.
Trajectory
This attack reveals a sophisticated psychological warfare tactic: using a survivor as a messenger to lure community members into an ambush. This shifts the insurgents’ approach from direct confrontation to a more insidious form of terror that exploits community solidarity.
Cycle notes
This incident mirrored earlier “lure-and-detonate” and secondary-strike style operations by Boko Haram, including the 11 July 2017 Molai (Maiduguri) attacks, the 02 December 2017 Biu market double-blast, the 15 August 2017 Mandarari market and IDP camp coordinated bombings, the 05 August 2017 Lake Chad “double-tap” attacks on fleeing fishermen, and the 2013–2015 village raid cycles across Borno and Yobe, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram initiates a primary act of violence to draw in rescuers, relatives, or crowds, then executes a planned secondary strike to maximize casualties, amplify psychological shock, and punish community solidarity.
Pattern
Loggers Targeting
Related — Armed Attack
Suspected Boko Haram insurgents invaded the home of Ari Mustapha in Mairari village, Konduga Local Government Area, Borno State. The attackers abducted his two daughters, aged 26 and 30. Before fleeing, the insurgents also stole two bulls and other belongings from the residence.
Dozens of gunmen, reportedly wearing Nigerian military uniforms and traveling in off-road vehicles and motorcycles, stormed the College of Agriculture in Gujba. They surrounded the male dormitories while the students were asleep and opened fire. Survivors recounted that the attackers moved from room to room, shooting some students in their beds and others as they attempted to flee through windows into the surrounding bush.
More than 100 Nigerian Army troops under the 134 Battalion of the 12 Brigade, Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), stationed in Kangarwa village (Kukawa LGA), advanced on Boko Haram camps in the Kafiya Forest area along the Baga-Maiduguri Road. The troops had conducted a reconnaissance that identified previously unnoticed insurgent camps. They filed a report recommending aerial bombardment of the area, preparatory for a ground operation. But the plan was cancelled at the final minutes by an unnamed top official without formal communication to the troops. Due to the lack of communication — exacerbated by the telecommunications blackout imposed on Borno State since the May 2013 state of emergency — the troops ran into the terrorists without knowing the air support had been cancelled. The soldiers were trapped in an ambush under heavy fire from militants who had surrounded the area. Some of the troops reportedly fled into the bush. The insurgents confiscated a huge cache of weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns mounted on vehicles.