2014 Gamboru Ngala massacre
Part of the Boko Haram insurgency
LocationGamboru & Ngala, Borno, Nigeria
Coordinates12°22′32″N 14°12′13″E / 12.37556°N 14.20361°E / 12.37556; 14.20361
Date5 May 2014 (WAT (UTC+1))
TargetGamboru, Ngala and its residents
Attack type
Mass shooting, arson, mass murder
WeaponsAK-47s, RPGs
DeathsAt least 300[1]
InjuredUnknown
PerpetratorBoko Haram

On the night of 5-6 May 2014, Boko Haram militants attacked the twin towns of Gamboru and Ngala in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.[2] About 310 residents were killed in the 12-hour massacre, and the town was largely destroyed.[1][3][2]

During the same night, Boko Haram abducted eight girls aged between 12–15 from northeast Nigeria,[4][5] a number later raised to eleven.[6]

Background

Gamboru Ngala accommodated the security garrison, which had left the town before the attack to pursue the perpetrators of the Chibok schoolgirl kidnapping.[7] Borno State is considered pivotal for Boko Haram.[7] According to the Nigerian senator Ahmed Zanna and several residents, the security forces left Gamboru Ngala after Boko Haram militants had spread rumours that the kidnapped schoolgirls had been spotted elsewhere.[8]

Massacre

Armed with AK-47s and RPGs, the militants attacked the town on two armored personnel carriers, stolen from the Nigerian military several months earlier.[9] The militants opened fire on the people at a busy market that was open at night when temperatures cool.[10] Having set homes ablaze, the militants gunned down residents who tried to escape from the fire.[1]

The official death toll was first set at 200 on 7 May. Zanna and local resident Waziri Hassan both reported at least 336 deaths.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Boko Haram Attack Kills Hundreds In Border Town". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  2. 1 2 de Montclos, Marc-Antoine Pérouse (2017-05-08), "Boko Haram", Understanding Boko Haram, Routledge, pp. 19–40, doi:10.4324/9781315525051-2, ISBN 978-1-315-52505-1, retrieved 2020-05-16
  3. ↑ "Terrorism survivor in Cameroon takes road to recovery: UN News special report". UN News. 2019-08-19. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  4. ↑ "Boko Haram kidnaps more girls in Nigeria", ABC, AU, 6 May 2014
  5. ↑ Suspected Boko Haram gunmen kidnap eight girls from village in Nigeria. Monica Mark, The Guardian website; Tuesday 6 May 2014 19.21 BST.
  6. ↑ Boko Haram kidnaps more children, kills villagers in Nigeria. Sabrina Ford, Laura Italiano and Post Wires; New York Post, May 11, 2014 | 1:35am.
  7. 1 2 Жертвами нападения "Боко Харам" на город в Нигерии стали 300 человек (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Nigeria confirms market massacre blamed on Boko Haram". BBC News. 8 May 2014. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  9. 1 2 Adam Nossiter (7 May 2014). "Islamist Militants Kill Hundreds of Civilians in Northeastern Nigeria". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Nigerian official: Hundreds killed in attack". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
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