A metal scavenger unknowingly collected an undetonated IED among scrap metal and stored it in a building near a Tsangaya (Qur’anic) school. The device exploded, killing four Almajiri pupils and two adults. The explosion also caused severe bodily harm to others
27 Jan 2024 · Gubio, Gubio, Borno
Deaths
6
Kidnapped
0
Total casualties
6
Perpetrators
Boko Haram/ISWAP
Response
Gubio LGA Chairman, Alhaji Mali Gubio, confirmed the incident and stated that authorities could not identify two of the adult victims because no one came forward to claim their bodies. The state government reaffirmed its ban on metal scavenging, which had been in place since July 2023, but the practice continued illegally.
Displacement
0
Socioeconomic drivers
The incident highlights the persistent danger of unexploded ordnance (UXO) and abandoned IEDs left behind by Boko Haram and ISWAP. Despite a government ban, metal scavenging continued due to economic desperation, as scavengers risked their lives to collect scrap metal for income.
Trajectory
These back‑to‑back tragedies underscored a resurgence of landmine and IED attacks in early 2024, despite government claims that insurgents were surrendering en masse. The incident also exposed the failure of the state's ban on metal scavenging, as poverty drove citizens to ignore the prohibition, leading to preventable deaths.
Cycle notes
Mirroed earlier attacks including 29 June 2018 – Banki landmine explosion affecting security personnel after an insurgent raid, 23 March 2020 – Goneri (the Gorge) detonation of explosives causing secondary casualties, 17 January 2021 – Gorgi multi-IED field attack leaving hazardous remnants, 08 January 2024 – Gamboru–Maiduguri highway IED strike on a humanitarian convoy, and 17 January 2024 – Mafa IED explosion targeting CJTF patrol, collectively reflecting a recurring pattern in which Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province leave behind unexploded ordnance (UXOs) and abandoned IEDs that continue to pose lethal risks to civilians—particularly vulnerable populations such as children and informal workers—long after active hostilities, thereby extending the humanitarian impact of the conflict beyond the battlefield.
Pattern
IED Explosion
Related — Bombing/IED
Self-defense fighters (vigilantes) on patrol around the Bakin Dutse area sighted three suspected female suicide bombers approaching from a distance. The vigilantes ordered them to stop, but the girls continued running toward the checkpoint. The vigilantes shot the lead bomber, activating her explosives and killing her and a companion. The third bomber tried to flee and was shot dead.
Five female suicide bombers staged a coordinated attack on Kofa village. The first bomber detonated her explosives near a mosque where worshippers were gathered for night prayers, killing seven people. The second bomber detonated in a house, killing five people. The remaining three bombers detonated within the same vicinity, killing only themselves.
Multiple suicide bomb attacks occurred in the Muna area of Maiduguri, a male suicide bomber detonated an IED at Muna Garage, killing himself and 13 others and injuring 5 people. In a separate development at Muna Dalti, two female suicide bombers detonated IEDs, killing themselves and injuring 13 others