Nigeria: Security forces foil Boko Haram plot

Event

On Saturday, September 9, the government announced that intelligence services foiled a Boko Haram plot for a coordinated series of attacks across the country during Eid-al Adha festivities. According to the Department of State Services (DSS), militants were planning to carry out armed attacks and suicide bombings in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Niger, Bauchi, Yobe, and Borno states. The alleged mastermind behind the planned attacks was arrested on August 31 in Kano, along with other suspects.

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 Islamic State in West Africa. Al-Barnaoui, son of Mohammed Yusuf - the founder of Boko Haram - 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-Barnaoui blaming Shekau for massacring civilians rather than focusing on military targets.

Public venues (markets, places of worship, schools, bars, areas where broadcasts of sports competitions are displayed, etc.) as well as security forces and governmental buildings are frequently targeted by attacks, suicide bombings, and kidnappings (regularly followed by assassinations and targeting primarily foreign nationals).

The suspected mastermind of the foiled attack is thought to be a commander of Al-Barnaoui faction and was reportedly behind the November 2014 attacks on the Kano central mosque, which killed at least 120.

Advice

The security environment in Nigeria is complex and particularly poor in the northeast and extreme south of the country due to the presence of armed groups, high crime rates, and the risk of kidnapping. Some Western governments consequently advise against travel to certain areas of the northeast (e.g. states of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states) and the southern Niger Delta region (e.g. states of Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.