Islamic extremists kill 37 people in two attacks in Yobe, Nigeria

The first attack occurred on November 30 and 31 in Geidam district of Yobe state. The jihadists opened fire, killing 17 people. They then used landmines to attack mourners attending the funeral of the victims. On the evening of November 31, a group of 22 people were returning home from the funeral when their vehicle hit a landmine planted by the jihadists. Twenty people were killed and the rest were seriously injured.

The jihadists’ 14-year-old insurgency has eased in northeast Nigeria and they no longer control large swaths of territory, but they still carry out attacks in rural areas, targeting military bases and convoys. On November 30, militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group killed at least 17 people in a village in Yobe state after they refused to pay a cattle tax imposed by the militants.

Yobe is also one of the areas hit by jihadist violence in Nigeria, including deadly attacks on villages, military bases, schools and markets, as well as mass kidnappings. In April 2022, ISWAP militants killed 11 people in attacks on pubs and a technical college in the town of Geidam in the state, days after an explosion at a pub in Taraba state, also in northeastern Nigeria, killed six people and injured 16.