Boko Haram kills over 1000 people since declared ‘technically defeated’

Over 1,000 people have lost their lives in Boko Haram attacks since the terror group was declared “technically defeated” by President Muhammadu Buhari in December 2015.

These the findings were provided by Daily Trust from figures recorded in 181 attacks, including the one in Biu, Saturday, that have been reported in the media.

The total number of deaths recorded between December 2015 and now stands at 1, 088 and with the official figure of deaths recorded in the Biu suicide attacks yesterday, the number now stands at 1,101.

The findings show that the group seemed to have had more impact in 2017 than it did in 2016, doubling the number of casualties it recorded.

The group killed 379 people in 57 attacks in 2016. This number includes 327 civilians, 49 soldiers and 3 immigration officers, while 2, 200 people were reported injured in these attacks.

In 2017, the group recorded three times more attacks than it did in 2016, with a reported 124 violent incidents, including the suicide bombing in Biu, Saturday, blamed on the group. These attacks caused the deaths of 637 civilians, 68 soldiers and four policemen, bringing the total number of people killed to 709 so far.

With the 13 people officially reportedly killed in the Biu suicide bombing, the number rises to 722, representing a 90.5 per cent increase from the previous year.

Attacks by the group have left 536 people injured in 2017, representing a drop of 75.3 per cent compared to the figures of 2016. These figures were recorded in 124 attacks.

What this suggests is that Boko Haram has recorded more fatalities in their attacks in 2017, implying that the group’ attacks have been more efficient in terms of recorded fatalities than in 2016.

During these 181 attacks in over two years, 602 insurgents have been reported killed. This figure does not include instances where the military reports that it had killed “many” or “scores” of insurgents.

Analysis of the figures shows that while Boko Haram increased its efficiency in 2017, it somehow managed to reduce the number of its foot soldiers killed in 2017. For instance, while 413 insurgents were reported killed in 2016, 189 insurgents have so far been killed in 2017, representing a drop of 54.2 per cent.

The explanation for this is that in 2017, Boko Haram changed its modus operandi, mostly avoiding direct confrontations with the military and focusing on soft targets instead. Most of the insurgents who lost their lives in 2017 did so during suicide bombings.

Far more cases of suicide bombings were recorded in 2017 than in 2016 and these pushed up the number of civilian casualties in Boko Haram attacks. The attack in Mubi, November 22, was the highest with 50 worshippers killed during a suicide bombing at a mosque.

However, the highest number of insurgents killed in confrontation with the military recorded on February 1, 2017, when 35 insurgents were killed in Buk, Damboa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Compared to 2016, the insurgents suffered heavy losses during clashes in Musari, where 58 insurgents were killed on March 20. In Kotokuma area of Dikwa, 37 insurgents were killed on February 28, while another 35 lost their lives in Bulari on April 21, followed by another 25 in Kangarawa on July 2.

Interestingly, Boko Haram’s attacks are spread over the three northeastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa. However, all the reported killings of insurgents took place within Borno State.

These figures are alarming considering that in December 2015, six months after coming into power, President Muhammadu Buhari declared that Boko Haram had been “technically defeated.”

Credit: Daily Trust