2016 Dalori attack

Terrorist incident in Nigeria September 2026 2016 Dalori attack the Boko Haram insurgency Dalori, Borno state, Nigeria 11 45 36.11 N 13 15 55.87 E 30 January 2016 UTC+01:00 Suicide bombing, arson, mass murder ~86 135+ Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Boko Haram Firebombs, suicide vests, small arms On 30 January 2016, Boko Haram militants entered the suburban town of Dalori, Borno state, Nigeria, located near Borno's capital city, Maiduguri. Approximately 86 people were killed and upwards of 135 more injured in the attack, which is believed to have been a reprisal against the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) but also comes a week after the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) announced its transition into the "resettlement and rebuilding stage" in its operation to dismantle Boko Haram. It was Boko Haram's first major attack of 2016.26 February 2016 Continued insecurity and military challenges thwart the war against Boko Haram https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2016/02/challenges-boko-haram/ live https://archive.today/20251002165126/https://www.iiss.org/online-analysis/online-analysis/2016/02/challenges-boko-haram/ 2 October 2025 2 October 2025 International Institute for Strategic Studies Background Boko Haram Multinational Joint Task Force Civilian Joint Task Force Boko Haram is a jihadist group which began an insurgency in Nigeria in 2009. In the mid-2010s, it intensified and spread to neighboring countries Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Since being driven out of many region in northeastern Nigeria around 2015, Boko Haram shifted to targeting civilians, which began to make up an increasing portion of attacks. The MNJTF, which included Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Benin, and Nigeria at the time, reportedly had 8,700 regional troops around January of 2016. However, continued delays stopped any joint operations from occurring prior to the day of the attack.2016-01-25 Multiple suicide bombings strike village in northern Cameroon https://www.france24.com/en/20160125-cameroon-multiple-suicide-bombings-strike-village-far-north 2025-08-19 France 24 en Niger has since withdrawn from the MNJTF, announcing their withdrawal 30 March 2025.2025-03-30 Niger withdraws from Lake Chad military force https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/niger-withdraws-lake-chad-military-force-2025-03-30/ 2025-08-19 Reuters en Strained relations between Nigeria and Niger and passive participation of Chadian forces in the MNJTF has slowed operations.2025-08-08 Africa Overview: June 2025 ACLED https://acleddata.com/update/africa-overview-june-2025 2025-08-20 acleddata.com en Operations continue in nearby Cameroon and Nigeria, particularly through the Nigerian Army's Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), which has been primarily deployed in Borno State, Nigeria.Ajakaiye Adeola 2025-08-03 Operation HADIN KAI commander charges troops to sustain offensive against terrorists https://businessday.ng/news/article/operation-hadin-kai-commander-charges-troops-to-sustain-offensive-against-terrorists/ Lagos, Nigeria 2025-08-20 BusinessDay en-US Notably, OPHK killed one of Boko Haram's top commander, Abu Fatima, on 30 May 2025.Yushau Abdulhameed 2025-05-30 Nigerian Military Eliminates Top Boko Haram Commander Abu Fatima in Borno https://prnigeria.com/2025/05/30/army-eliminates-boko-haram/ 2025-08-20 PRNigeria News en-US The CTJF is a civilian vigilante group, founded initially under the name Yan Gora or Kato da Gora in 2013, aimed at assisting the MNJTF in its operations against Boko Haram.1 October 2016 The volunteers who helped beat back Boko Haram are becoming a problem https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21707958-volunteers-who-helped-beat-back-boko-haram-are-becoming-problem-home https://archive.today/20230901151743/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2016/09/29/the-home-guard 1 September 2023 1 October 2016 The EconomistOmenma J. Tockukwu The Civilian Joint Task Force in Nigeria: Counterterrorism from Below Hendricks Cheryl 13 October 2025 Routledge 1st London 13 October 2025 en 10.4324/9781003162421 978-1-003-16242-1 7Bamidele Oluwaseun 25 June 2016 Civilian Joint Task Force' (CJTF) – A Community Security Option: A Comprehensive and Proactive Approach of Reducing Terrorism https://journals.sfu.ca/jd/index.php/jd/article/view/40 Journal for Deradicalization Germany Daniel Koehler 7 124–144 2363-9849127 Its main city in Maiduguri, and was born primarily from endangered civilians unsatisfied with the early, unproductive MNJTF operations.6-7Madueke Mingsley Buba Imrana Alhaji 3 May 2024 Civilian Joint Task Force https://african-cities-database.org/urc-record-index/Civilian-Joint-Task-Force/ live https://archive.today/20251002171256/https://african-cities-database.org/urc-record-index/Civilian-Joint-Task-Force/ 2 October 2025 2 October 2025 Urban Reform Database African Cities Research Consortium Over 500 CTJF militants have been absorbed into the Nigerian armed forces, and the group receives ₦352 million NGN annually from the Borno State Ministry of Justice. The effectiveness of the group has been question,134-135 particularly as it has committed numerous human rights violations. Motives According to Media Coordinator of Operation Lafiya Dole, later renamed to Operation Hadin Kai, Theater Command, Col. Mustapha Anka, speaking in Maiduguri, claimed the attack targeted members of the CJTF and innocent civilians. Attack Militants, travelling in two Volkswagen Golf sedans and on motorcycles, and armed with machine guns,2 February 2016 Nigeria: Security Council condemns 'heinous' terrorist attack attributed to Boko Haram https://news.un.org/en/story/2016/02/521432 live https://web.archive.org/web/20231223144836/https://news.un.org/en/story/2016/02/521432 23 December 2023 2 October 2025 United Nations travelled through Yale to Dalori, entering through the rear of the village. Militants immediately opened indiscriminate fire at residents and set huts and other structure alight with firebombs.31 January 2016 At least 65 people killed in attack in Nigeria's Maiduguri https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-violence-idUSKCN0V90M8 live https://web.archive.org/web/20250824100756/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-nigeria-violence-idUSKCN0V90M8/ 24 August 2025 2 October 2025 ReutersIsuwa Sunday Searcey Dionne 31 January 2016 Boko Haram Burns Villages in Northeastern Nigeria https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/world/africa/boko-haram-kills-dozens-in-northern-nigeria-military-says.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20250826231624/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/01/world/africa/boko-haram-kills-dozens-in-northern-nigeria-military-says.html 26 August 2025 2 October 2025 The New York Times The attack lasted for approximately four hours, during which militants burnt children alive.Survivor claims Boko Haram burned kids alive in attack that kills 86 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/01/31/boko-haram-attack-village/79623914/ usatoday.com USA Today 1 February 2016 One survivor recalls having "heard the screams of children burning to death."1 February 2016 Boko Haram: children among villagers burned to death in Nigeria attack https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/01/boko-haram-attack-children-among-villagers-burned-to-death-in-nigeria live https://web.archive.org/web/20241011044453/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/01/boko-haram-attack-children-among-villagers-burned-to-death-in-nigeria 11 October 2024 2 October 2025 The Guardian The Nigerian Army were initially unable to fight the militants, but eventually forced Boko Haram militants to retreat when reinforcements armed with heavier weaponry arrived. Reinforcements were alerted of the attack by a local vigilante group called Kondugua, which noticed the flames from burning buildings.1 February 2016 Boko Haram attack: Children burned alive in Nigeria https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/2/1/boko-haram-attack-children-burned-alive-in-nigeria live https://web.archive.org/web/20250720042847/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/2/1/boko-haram-attack-children-burned-alive-in-nigeria 20 July 2025 2 October 2025 Al Jazeera In response to the attack, many villagers immediately fled to the neighboring village of Gamori Kerkeri.Alfa Ismail Umar Haruna 31 January 2016 Boko Haram burns kids alive in Nigeria, 86 dead: officials https://apnews.com/general-news-ad9fd9f40eb04969b649c31383e8bb22 live https://archive.today/20251002190137/https://apnews.com/general-news-ad9fd9f40eb04969b649c31383e8bb22 2 October 2025 2 October 2025 Associated Press Militants hunted down fleeing civilians. Three female suicide bombers attempted to enter the fleeing group, ultimately bound for a refugee camp near Maiduguri, which housed approximately 25,000 refugees, but were intercepted. All three detonated their explosives.31 January 2016 Boko Haram 'burned children alive' in Nigeria village attack http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160131/world/boko-haram-burned-children-alive-in-nigeria-village-attack.600806 live https://web.archive.org/web/20250325155728/https://timesofmalta.com/article/boko-haram-burned-children-alive-in-nigeria-village-attack.600806 25 March 2025 2 October 2025 Times of Malta Press Association 31 January 2016 Scores die in terrorists attack in Dalori, Borno https://guardian.ng/news/scores-die-in-terrorists-attack-in-dalori-borno/ Lagos, Nigeria live https://archive.today/20251002190828/https://guardian.ng/news/scores-die-in-terrorists-attack-in-dalori-borno/ 2 October 2025 2 October 2025 The Guardian By the end of the attack, Dalori was effectively "razed to the ground."5 February 2016 Another brutal attack by Boko Haram highlights the weakness of Nigeria's military https://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21690136-recent-attack-reflects-badly-military-reforms-boko-back live https://archive.today/20230309120632/https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2016/02/05/another-brutal-attack-by-boko-haram-highlights-the-weakness-of-nigerias-military 9 March 2023 8 February 2016 The Economist Response Initial death tolls were hard to confirm as bodies brought to a nearby hospital morgue were burnt beyond recognition.Domonoske Camila 31 January 2016 Boko Haram Attacks Village In Nigeria; Dozens Reportedly Dead https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/31/465062427/boko-haram-attacks-village-in-nigeria-reuters-reports-at-least-65-dead live https://web.archive.org/web/20250426141952/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/31/465062427/boko-haram-attacks-village-in-nigeria-reuters-reports-at-least-65-dead 26 April 2025 2 October 2025 National Public Radio Furthermore, local sources listed between 50-100 corpses being collected. Later credible estimates concluded that some 86 people were killed in the attack. 62 others were treated for burns at the State Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri. Large parts of Dalori village were destroyed in the attack. Many charred corpses and bullet wound-ridden bodies were found during recovery efforts. Questions have been raised over how the militants were able to attack a settlement so close to army headquarters in Maiduguri, how they apparently drove unhindered past roads patrolled by soldiers and vigilantes, and how they were able to attack the village for several hours before the army intervened and drove them out. Domestic Government October 2025 Others October 2025 International Governments October 2025 Intergovernmental organizations The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the "horrific terrorist attacks," expressing sympathy for the families and friends of individuals killed or injured in the attack as well as Nigerians generally. It commended the MNJTF, and in reminding that "any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever and whenever, and by whomsoever committed," it stressed that all states should cooperate in bringing the perpetrators "to justice."Security Council SC/12233-AFR/3319 Press Release Security Council Press Statement on Terrorist Attacks by Boko Haram 2 February 2016 2 October 2025 Human rights groups October 2025 See also Nigeria Politics List of terrorist incidents, January–June 2016 List of terrorist incidents linked to ISIL References 30em Category:2016 murders in Nigeria Category:Suicide bombings in Nigeria Category:Building and structure arson attacks in Nigeria Category:2010s massacres in Nigeria Category:2016 mass murders Category:Terrorist incidents in Nigeria in 2016 Category:Massacres committed by the Islamic State Category:Islamic State terrorist incidents in Nigeria Category:January 2016 in Nigeria Category:January 2016 crimes in Africa Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2016 Category:Suicide bombings in 2016 Category:2010s in Maiduguri Category:Improvised explosive device bombings in Maiduguri Category:Mass murders in Maiduguri Category:Arson in 2016 Category:2010s fires in Africa Category:2016 mass shootings in Africa Category:Mass shootings in Nigeria Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Nigeria Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in 2016