Twin Attacks in Northern Nigeria Leave 22 Dead as Violence Surges

At least 22 people were killed in two separate attacks carried out by suspected Islamist militants in northern Nigeria over the weekend.

The attacks, which occurred in Borno and neighboring Adamawa states on Saturday, April 26, also left several others injured.

According to Mohammed Shehu Timta, the Emir of Gwoza in Borno State, 10 civilians and two security officials were killed in the attack. Similarly, 10 people were killed and several others wounded in an attack carried out by suspected Boko Haram militants at Kopre village, Adamawa State.

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a surge in attacks across many parts of Nigeria, from Benue to Plateau states in the north-central region. On April 18, gunmen abducted 20 passengers aboard a commercial boat navigating the Akwa Ibom–Cross River waterways.

A week later, 15 passengers were abducted by gunmen along the Adoka-Naka Road in Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue State. This is in addition to a wave of attacks in Plateau State, where assaults in Bokkos and Zike communities have left at least 80 people dead.

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The rising insecurity has sparked strong reactions from Nigerians. Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last general election, accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of being “disturbingly indifferent, displaying neither urgency nor the basic decency of public empathy.”

Between January 1 and April 25, over 4,000 Nigerians have lost their lives due to insecurity, while 3,929 were abducted during the same period, according to Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited, a security firm that tracks violence across the country.