Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, disguised in military uniforms to avoid detection, attacked two rural communities near Chibok on New Year's Day. The terrorists arrived in trucks fitted with machine guns and on motorcycles. They first attacked Gatamarwa, opening fire on residents, including a group of mourners returning from a funeral. They killed 12 people in Gatamarwa and then moved to Tsiha, killing three more people and abducting a young woman.
1 Jan 2024 · Gatamarwa, Tsiha, Shikarkir, Chibok, Borno
Deaths
15
Injured
2
Kidnapped
1
Total casualties
17
Perpetrators
Boko Haram/ISWAP
Response
Borno State Police Commissioner Mohammed Yusuf confirmed the attack, stating that the insurgents disguised in military uniform attacked the communities on the fringes of the forest. Police Public Relations Officer Nahum Daso also confirmed the attack but declined to provide details.
Socioeconomic drivers
The use of military uniforms as a disguise is a recurring Boko Haram and ISWAP tactic designed to bypass security checkpoints and lower civilian defenses.
Trajectory
The 1 January 2024 attack was the first major terrorist incident of the year in Borno State. It occurred just two weeks after a similar attack on Chibok town, which killed two people and involved looting and arson. The attack demonstrated that despite ongoing military operations, insurgents retain the capacity to strike rural communities with impunity.
Cycle notes
This incident tragically echoes the 14 April 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping, the most infamous mass abduction of the insurgency. The Chibok area has remained a primary target zone for insurgent attacks, including the December 2014 Gumsuri mass kidnapping (172-185 abducted) and the December 2022 attacks on surrounding villages. The targeting of mourners specifically echoes the June 2016 Kuda funeral massacre (24 killed) and the June 2019 Konduga football viewing bombings (30 killed). The cycle is tragically consistent: Boko Haram and ISWAP exploit the vulnerability of rural communities near the Sambisa Forest, strike during religious or national holidays, use disguise tactics, and continue attacks despite government claims of progress.
Pattern
Deception Tactic
Related — Armed Attack
Armed Boko Haram insurgents stormed Amarwa village in a nighttime raid. The attackers shot indiscriminately at villagers and set fire to homes. According to militia leader Ibrahim Liman, two residents were shot dead, and two others died from smoke inhalation or burns after being trapped in burning houses. The attackers also looted food stocks before fleeing. Several villagers sustained injuries and were evacuated to the Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri
Gunmen entered multiple mosques in Kukawa town and shot men as they prayed before breaking the Ramadan fast, then attacked nearby homes and shot women preparing the evening meal. NPR According to an anonymous senior government official, the militants specifically targeted mosques they believed taught a form of Islam that was too moderate. After killing dozens of people in the mosques — mainly men and boys — the gunmen entered nearby houses and killed many of the inhabitants, including women and children.
A large convoy of suspected Boko Haram militants armed with heavy machine guns, rocket launchers and homemade bombs launched a coordinated assault on the Police Area Command headquarters and two new‑generation banks in Azare, Bauchi State. The assailants bombed the police buildings, setting them ablaze, and then broke into the banks, emptying their safes and making off with the money. The attackers also hung a black banner reading “Allahu Akbar” at the entrance to the police station. The attack lasted about four hours.