18 victims in attacks in Nigeria, three women and a child blew themselves up in Gwoza

Last Saturday, the city of Beetlocated in the Nigerian state of Borno, in the north-east of the country, was hit by three explosions which resulted in the death of at least eighteen people and the wounding of thirty others. Local authorities suspect that it is suicide attacks and links them to the violence of the jihadist group Boko Haram.

Three attacks in Gwoza

The three explosions they occurred at different times and places: during a wedding, a funeral and inside a hospital.

The state emergency management agency confirmed the official toll of eighteen deadbut some local media are reporting a higher death toll, suggesting there could be more than thirty.

Nigeria under attack: Three terrorist attacks, Boko Haram under attack

The attacks have not yet been claimed, but the characteristics of the events suggest the actions of Boko HaramThere are at least 3 women who have blown themselves up and in one case there was at least one girl with the attacker.

The instability of the region caused by Boko Haram

Dal 2014, Beet has been at the centre of the jihadist insurgency of Boko Haram, an Islamist terrorist group that operates mainly in Nigeria and in West Africa.

Despite the leader’s death Abubakar Shekau in 2021 and the military successes of the Nigerian Army, Boko Haram continues to represent one threat significant.

The recent attacks demonstrate the group’s resilience on the ground and their ability to perpetrate extreme acts of violence, keeping the region on constant alert.

Death toll

The victims of the attacks were predominantly civilians, including pregnant women, children and the elderly. The attacks have devastated the local community: by targeting wealthy and generous individuals, there is the risk of them also seeing less economic support.

The tragic memory of the “Chibok girls”, kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, still persists today, with many of them officially missing. It is therefore possible that the female suicide bombers of the latest attacks were also victims of kidnapping and forced to act under threat.