Boko Haram Suicide Attack Kills 25 in Zaria, Northern Nigeria

Key Points:

• 25 people killed Tuesday when a bomb last through a government office in northern Nigeria
• 32 others suffers injuries and taken to hospitals
• Suicide bomber used an IED

OSINT Summary

25 people have been killed from a suicide attack on Tuesday when a bomb blast ripped through a government office in Northern Nigeria. The attack likely orchestrated by Boko Haram Islamist group.

The attack that was conducted using an Improvised explosive device (IED) was aimed at teachers and civil servants that were queuing for identity checks to identify ghost workers.

Zaria town is majorly a Muslim town and near the border of Kano and Katsina state in north of Nigeria.

Additionally, on Tuesday a female suicide bomber blew herself up near a military checkpoint in Sabon Gari village, Borno State. The explosion killed 4 people.

Assessment:

Since the accent into power of Nigeria’s new President Mohammed Buhari, the Islamic State affiliated takfiri, Boko Haram have increased the magnitude, tactics and regularity of its attacks especially on civilians.

The Boko Haram militia has changed tactics to attacking ‘soft targets’ and adopting indiscriminative attacks on civilians especially at their places of worship.

Despite promise of change of strategy and tough words in the fight against the Boko Haram, close to 550 people have been killed by the takfiri terrorists since Buhari’s inauguration.

Summary:

Boko Haram seemed to have changed tactics and is picking up a worrying trend of conducting guerilla-style attacks on civilians and especially using suicide bombers. The soft targets they are aiming include both Christians and Muslims in their places of worship.

Boko Haram’s new tactics reflect their dwindling power and ability to conduct planned attacks and following the major counter operation on them by the Nigerian troops in conjunction with her neighbors; Niger, Chad and Cameroon.

Nigerian federal police have however beefed up security in all places of worship especially Mosques as the Muslim observe Ramadan.

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