This cellular structure and apparent lack of unity or centralized commandmakes them particularly difficult to negotiate with.
In September 2010, having regrouped under their new leader, Shekau, the group started a campaign of violence in Nigeria. They began with an attack on Maiduguri prisons where they released 105 detained Boko Haram members, along with over 600 other prisoners. A string of other attacks followed as would be shown in the sections below. See tables 8 and 9 below for a profile of Boko Haram and the nature of Boko Haram terrorist incidents among selected northern states.
Timeline of Boko Haram Insurgency
Year 2009
July 26—29. 2009 —Clashes between Boko Haram militants and Nigerian soldiers in different States of northern Nigeria claimed nearly 1000 lives.
July 30 – Mohammed Yusuf, spiritual leader of Boko Hararn, was killed and Abubakar Shekau takes control of the sect.
Year 2010
September 7 – Bauchi prison break, 5 people are killed and 721 inmates are freed from prison in Bauchi by suspected Boko Haram gunmen.
December 31 – Abuja attack, a bomb attack outside a barracks in Abuja kills four civilians.
Year 2011
May 29 — Coordinated bombings in northern Nigeria during Goodluck Jonathan’s swearing in as the new president kills 15 people in Abuja and Bauchi.
June 16 – At least two people, the perpetrator and a traffic policeman, are killed in a failed bombing of Abuja’s police headquarters. It is Nigeria’s first instance of a suicide bombing. August 26 – 2011 Abuja United Nations bombing, 21 people are killed in a bombing attack on a United Nations compound in Abuja.
-November 4 — About 100 to 150 people are killed in a series of coordinated assaults in Damaturu.
December 22—23 — About 68 people, (50 militants, at least 7 soldiers, and ii civilians), are killed in clashes between Boko Haram militants and Nigerian soldiers in Maiduguri and Damaturu. December 25 — At least 41 people are killed by Boko Haram bomb attacks and shootings on Christian churches.
Year 2012
During 2012, 792 people were killed as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.
January 5—6 – Around 37 Christians are targeted and killed by Boko Hararn militants.
January 20 — About 183 people, of whom at least 150 are civilians and 32 are police officers, are killed in Kano State by Boko Haram gunmen.
April 8 — Around 38 people are killed following a bombing at a church in Kaduna.
June 17 — At least 19 people are killed following bomb attacks against three churches in Kaduna.
August 7 — 19 people are killed when Boko Haram gunmen raided Deeper Life church in Kogi State.
August 8 – Two Nigerian soldiers and one civilian are killed in a mosque in an apparent reprisal attack for a previous days massacre. December 25 – Shootings by suspected Boko Haram militants in Maiduguri and Potiskum claimed the lives of 27 Christians. December 28 – Another 15 Christians are killed in the village of Musari by unknown gunmen.
YEAR 2O13
Islamist insurgency in Nigeria 2013 fatalities were at least 1,000-1,007+:
January 1 –Nigerian Army raid kills 13 militants.
January 4 – Ogun prison break. 15 inmates are freed in a prison break in Ogun State. Boko Haram is not suspected to be involved in the attack. February 8 – Attack on polio vaccinators kills 9 women. March 18 -2013 Kano bus bombing, between 22 and 65 people are killed in Kano by a car bombing.
April16 – 2013 Baga massacre, 187 people are killed in Baga in Borno State.
June — At least 9 children are killed in Maiduguri and 13 students and teachers are killed in Damaturu by Boko Haram.
July 6 – More than 42 are killed by Boko Raram gunmen in a Yobe State school.
August 12 – 56 people are killed by Boko Haram in a Maiduguri mosque.
September 12 – Ambush by Boko Haram leaves 40 soldiers dead.
September 12—18 – An offensive by Nigerian Army leaves 150 Islamists and 16 soldiers dead.
September 19 – Benisheik attacks. 161 are killed in attacks blamed on Boko Haram.
September 20 – An Abuja shootout leaves 79 killed.
September 29 – More than 50 students are killed in Yobe State by Boko Haram gunmen when they attacked Gujba College.
October 10 – An attack at Damboa leaves at least 20 killed (15 suspected militants and 5 civilians).
October – Government forces raid rebel camps, killing around 101 Boko Haram fighters.
October 29 – At least 128 people are killed (95 militants, 23 soldiers, 8 policemen, and 2 civilians) when Boko Haram raided Damaturu.
YEAR 2014
January 26 – Northern Nigeria attacks, 138 killed. January 31 – Boko Haram militants attacked and killed 11 Christians in Chakawa.
February 14 — Boko Haram attacks Konduga in Borno State killing 121 Christian villagers.
February 15 – Izghe attack, 106 killed the village of Izghe, Bomo State by Boko Haram gunmen.
February 15 — About 90 Christians and 9 Nigerian soldiers are killed in Gwoza by Boko Haram.
February 24 – Dozens killed as Boko Haram again raids Izghe. February 25 — Boko Haram attacks Federal Government College Yobe and kills 59 students.
March 14 – Boko Haram attacks the heavily fortified Giwa military barracks in Maiduguri, freeing comrades from a detention facility. The military then executes about 600 unarmed recaptured detainees, according to Amnesty International.
April 14 – Over 88 people killed in a twin bombing attack in Abuja. April 15 — About 276 female students in Chibok, Bomo State are kidnapped by Boko Haram.
May 1 —At least 19 killed in Abuja by a car bomb.
May 5 – At least 300 people are killed in the twin towns of Gamboru and Ngala in Borno State by Boko Haram militants.
May 20- At least 118 villagers are killed by car bombs in the city ofJos. May 27 – 49 security personnel and 9 civilians are killed during a Boko Haram attack on a military base in Yobe State.
May 30-The third emir of Gwoza. Idrissa Timta, is assassinated during a Boko Haram ambush.
June 1 -At least 40 people are killed by a bomb in Mubi. Amawa State. June 2 – At least 200, mostly Christians, are killed in several villages in Bomo State by Boko Haram.
June 20—23 – About 70 people are killed and 91 women and children kidnapped by Boko Haram militants in Borno State.
‘June 23—25 – Around 171 people are killed in a series of attacks in the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
June 26 – Over 100 militants are killed by the Nigerian military during raid on two Boko Haram camps.
June28 —Abomb attack kills 11 people in Bauchi.
July 18 -At least 18 are killed by a Boko Haram attack in Darnboa, leaving the town almost destroyed.
July 22—An attack on Chibok leaves 51 people dead
November 2 – Kogi prison break, 99 imnates in Kogi State are freed by suspected Boko Haram rebels.
November 3—10 – A double suicide bombing in Yobe State kills 15 Shiites on the 3rd and 46 students on the 10th.
November 25 – Over 45 people are killed by two suicide bombers in Maiduguri, Borno State.
November 27 – Around 50 people are killed in Damasak by Boko Haram militants.
November28 -2014 Kano bombing at 120 Muslim followers of the Emir of Kano. Muhammad Sanusi II are killed during a suicide bombing and gun attack by Boko Hararn. The 4 gunmen are subsequently killed by an angry mob.
December 13 – Between 32 and 35 are killed and between 172 and 185 are kidnapped by Boko Haram in Gumsuri, Bomo State.
December22 – Gombe bus station bombing kills at least 27 people.
December 28—29 – December2014 Cameroon clashes, 85 civilians, 94 militants, and 2 Cameroonian soldiers are killed following a failed Boko Haram offensive into Cameroons Far North Region.
