Nigeria: Landmine explosion and ambush in northeast June 20-21

Event

According to police sources, a landmine explosion killed three civilians in the Konduga district of Borno state (northeast) on Wednesday, June 21. The day prior, two men were killed and six others injured in a roadside ambush carried out against a convoy heading from Maiduguri to the town of Damboa. Boko Haram is highly suspected to be behind both of these attacks.

Context

The northeastern region of Nigeria is highly susceptible to attacks by Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in March 2015 and formally adopted the name of the Islamic State in West Africa. Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf, was nominated by IS in August 2016 to replace Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram since 2009. Since then, the two leaders have been leading dissident factions with divergent ambitions, Al-Barnawi blaming Shekau for massacring civilians rather than focusing on military targets.

The month of Ramadan, currently ongoing, is historically marred by a significant increase in terrorist threats, and as such there is an increased threat of attacks during Eid celebrations (starting from June 25), which mark the end of Ramadan. In recent years, a number of attacks have been carried out during this period, and the risk is particularly high in the Maiduguri area (Borno state, northeast).

Advice

The security environment in Nigeria is complex and particularly poor in the northeast of the country due to the presence of armed groups. Some Western governments consequently advise against travel to certain areas of the northeast (e.g. Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.