Gunmen attacked Yelwata community in Guma LGA, Benue State, killing three people.

Suspected herdsmen launched a deadly attack on Udei community in Guma LGA, Benue State, leaving four policemen feared dead.

Two gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on troops manning a military checkpoint in Kano city. The sudden ambush injured one soldier, while the attackers fled the scene before reinforcements arrived. The incident heightened tension in Kano, which had already witnessed multiple Boko Haram-related shootings and bombings earlier in 2012.

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.