2011 Damaturu attacks
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Damaturu
attacks were a series of coordinated assaults in the northern Nigeria
n city on 4 November 2011 that killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds more. A spokesperson for the Islamist group Boko Haram
later claimed responsibility and promised "more attacks are on the way."
have become more proficient in carrying out attacks since a 2009 clash
with security forces that led to the death of its leader Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, Since then it has either claimed or been blamed for numerous attacks on Nigerian government and civilian targets. Most attacks have been the predominantly Muslim north of Nigeria, though the group's name has been called out in other bombings such as in the capital city of Abuja
. The group itself has since factionalised with some allied to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and some expecting terms of agreement similar to southern Nigeria's MEND
insurgents.
police, several government buildings and two banks, as well as at least six churches. An unnamed local official told reporters that hundreds of wounded people are being treated in hospitals after the devastation in the city of fifty thousand. Gangs or masked men roamed the streets for at least 2 hours, setting buildings on fire and engaging in street battles with security forces. Government officials confirmed at least 53 people died in a double suicide car bombing at the anti-terrorist court building and numerous witness accounts spoke of a death toll significantly larger than the current one.
Hours before the Damaturi assault three suicide bombers attacked a military HQ in Maiduguri
and injured at least seven people. News reports suggest that the nearby city of Potiskum
was also attacked, and on the next day Nigerian TV reported a firebomb attack in the city of Kaduna
that left two people dead. At least three police stations and five churches were attacked.
Suleimon Lawal, the police commissioner of Damaturu, said that two suicide bombers drove a vehicle laden with explosives into the local anti-terrorist court killing 53 people.
A government spokesman said that president Goodluck Jonathan
was "greatly disturbed" by the attack, and said his government was working hard to bring those "determined to derail peace and stability in the country to book." His spokesman Reuben Abati added that he does not consider the perpetrators to be "true Muslims," as the attack occurred during Eid. He further added that"every step will be taken [to arrest the perptrators]. The security agencies will tell you that what happens on this scale is even a fraction of what could have happened considering the scope of the threat. The security agencies are busy at work trying to make sure the will of the majority of the Nigerian people is not subverted by a minority [group] with a suicidal streak." Jonathan also canceled a trip to Bayelsa for his younger brother's wedding.
Ibrahim Bulama of the Nigerian Red Cross said the death toll could rise. He also said that there was a fear of another attack. The Nigerian Red Cross has also promised to fully investigate the actual casualty count and release it in the coming days. Lawal said that as police commissioner "my strategy is a security strategy [that] I cannot disclose on air. So as [Boko Haram's not] disclosing their security strategy, I don't think it is safe for me to tell the whole world what I am doing."
Nii Akuetteh, a former executive director of Africa Action
, said that: "The government has been saying that it will deal with [Boko Haram] and that it will get a handle on the problem, but it's not been able to. Previously, the attempt made was to try and fight them militarily - to send the security forces after them - but that has created its own problem. I know for a fact that there're Nigerian groups in and outside the government, including the media, who are suggesting that the government should try to talk to Boko Haram. But my own impression is that they don't seem to be particularly ready or inclined to talk."
International - The embassy
issued an emergency warning to its citizens that bomb attacks could be possible at several luxury hotels across Abuja. Nigerian National Security advisor General Owoeye Andrew Azazi dismissed the warning as simply creating panic.http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/11/07/nsa-faults-us-embassy-bomb-alert/
Others
Isaac Olawale, of the Oxford University Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity said that: "The present attempt to deal with the problem using confrontational strategies will not work. There is poverty all over the country and an increased number of Nigerians are jumping into the warm embrace of ethnic, chauvinist and religious fundamentalism. Boko Haram expresses some of the social upheavals we are witnessing in Nigeria."
David Zounmenou, of the Institute for Security Studies, said that: "The difficulty is the amount of weapons unleashed into the desert by the downfall
of Muammar Gaddafi
and of his supporters. Those weapons are simply flooding into the region, falling into wrong hands. Some of them are certain going to find their way to Boko Haram, or the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or other groups."
Damaturu
Damaturu is a Local Government Area in Yobe State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Damaturu, the State capital.The postal code of the area is 620....
attacks were a series of coordinated assaults in the northern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n city on 4 November 2011 that killed more than 100 people and injured hundreds more. A spokesperson for the Islamist group Boko Haram
Boko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
later claimed responsibility and promised "more attacks are on the way."
Background
Boko HaramBoko Haram
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Islamist group that seeks the imposition of Shariah law throughout the whole of Nigeria. The group presently has an undefined structure and chain of command...
have become more proficient in carrying out attacks since a 2009 clash
2009 Nigerian sectarian violence
The 2009 Nigerian sectarian violence was a conflict between Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group and Nigerian security forces. The violence resulted in 700 deaths between 26 and 29 July 2009 across four cities in north east Nigeria....
with security forces that led to the death of its leader Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, Since then it has either claimed or been blamed for numerous attacks on Nigerian government and civilian targets. Most attacks have been the predominantly Muslim north of Nigeria, though the group's name has been called out in other bombings such as in the capital city of Abuja
Abuja
Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...
. The group itself has since factionalised with some allied to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and some expecting terms of agreement similar to southern Nigeria's MEND
Mend
Mend is the critically acclaimed debut album by the Scottish band De Rosa. Released in June 2006, it was voted 16th in Mojo’s top 50 albums of 2006...
insurgents.
Attacks
Among the targets hit were the headquarters of the Yobe StateYobe State
Yobe State is a state located in Northern Nigeria. A mainly agricultural state, it was created on August 27, 1991. Yobe state was carved out of present-day Borno State. The capital of Yobe state is Damaturu.-Geography:...
police, several government buildings and two banks, as well as at least six churches. An unnamed local official told reporters that hundreds of wounded people are being treated in hospitals after the devastation in the city of fifty thousand. Gangs or masked men roamed the streets for at least 2 hours, setting buildings on fire and engaging in street battles with security forces. Government officials confirmed at least 53 people died in a double suicide car bombing at the anti-terrorist court building and numerous witness accounts spoke of a death toll significantly larger than the current one.
Hours before the Damaturi assault three suicide bombers attacked a military HQ in Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
and injured at least seven people. News reports suggest that the nearby city of Potiskum
Potiskum
Potiskum is a Local Government Area in Yobe State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Potiskum on the A3 highway at.It has an area of 559 km² and a population of 205,876 at the 2006 census.The postal code of the area is 631....
was also attacked, and on the next day Nigerian TV reported a firebomb attack in the city of Kaduna
Kaduna
Kaduna is the state capital of Kaduna State in north-central Nigeria. The city, located on the Kaduna River, is a trade center and a major transportation hub for the surrounding agricultural areas with its rail and road junction. The population of Kaduna is at 760,084 as of the 2006 Nigerian census...
that left two people dead. At least three police stations and five churches were attacked.
Suleimon Lawal, the police commissioner of Damaturu, said that two suicide bombers drove a vehicle laden with explosives into the local anti-terrorist court killing 53 people.
Perpetrator
As Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attaks, its spoeksman Abul-Qaqa said that "more attacks are on the way."Reactions
DomesticA government spokesman said that president Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Jonathan
Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, GCFR, BNER, GCON is the 14th Head of State and current President of Nigeria.He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the...
was "greatly disturbed" by the attack, and said his government was working hard to bring those "determined to derail peace and stability in the country to book." His spokesman Reuben Abati added that he does not consider the perpetrators to be "true Muslims," as the attack occurred during Eid. He further added that"every step will be taken [to arrest the perptrators]. The security agencies will tell you that what happens on this scale is even a fraction of what could have happened considering the scope of the threat. The security agencies are busy at work trying to make sure the will of the majority of the Nigerian people is not subverted by a minority [group] with a suicidal streak." Jonathan also canceled a trip to Bayelsa for his younger brother's wedding.
Ibrahim Bulama of the Nigerian Red Cross said the death toll could rise. He also said that there was a fear of another attack. The Nigerian Red Cross has also promised to fully investigate the actual casualty count and release it in the coming days. Lawal said that as police commissioner "my strategy is a security strategy [that] I cannot disclose on air. So as [Boko Haram's not] disclosing their security strategy, I don't think it is safe for me to tell the whole world what I am doing."
Nii Akuetteh, a former executive director of Africa Action
Africa Action
Africa Action is a national human rights nonprofit organization based in Washington, DC, working to change U.S.-Africa relations to promote political, economic and social justice in nations of Africa. They provide accessible information and analysis, and mobilize popular support for campaigns to...
, said that: "The government has been saying that it will deal with [Boko Haram] and that it will get a handle on the problem, but it's not been able to. Previously, the attempt made was to try and fight them militarily - to send the security forces after them - but that has created its own problem. I know for a fact that there're Nigerian groups in and outside the government, including the media, who are suggesting that the government should try to talk to Boko Haram. But my own impression is that they don't seem to be particularly ready or inclined to talk."
International - The embassy
United States Ambassador to Nigeria
-Ambassadors:*Joseph Palmer II - Career FSO**Title: Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary**Appointment: September 23, 1960**Presentation of Credentials: October 4, 1960...
issued an emergency warning to its citizens that bomb attacks could be possible at several luxury hotels across Abuja. Nigerian National Security advisor General Owoeye Andrew Azazi dismissed the warning as simply creating panic.http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/11/07/nsa-faults-us-embassy-bomb-alert/
Others
Isaac Olawale, of the Oxford University Centre for Research on Inequality, Human Security and Ethnicity said that: "The present attempt to deal with the problem using confrontational strategies will not work. There is poverty all over the country and an increased number of Nigerians are jumping into the warm embrace of ethnic, chauvinist and religious fundamentalism. Boko Haram expresses some of the social upheavals we are witnessing in Nigeria."
David Zounmenou, of the Institute for Security Studies, said that: "The difficulty is the amount of weapons unleashed into the desert by the downfall
2011 Libyan civil war
The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...
of Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Gaddafi
Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar Gaddafi or "September 1942" 20 October 2011), commonly known as Muammar Gaddafi or Colonel Gaddafi, was the official ruler of the Libyan Arab Republic from 1969 to 1977 and then the "Brother Leader" of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from 1977 to 2011.He seized power in a...
and of his supporters. Those weapons are simply flooding into the region, falling into wrong hands. Some of them are certain going to find their way to Boko Haram, or the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb or other groups."