Risk Foresight: Nigeria Terrorism

Exclusive Analysis

Attacks by Islamist group Boko Haram have spread from Borno state to major cities in the Middle Belt and north states, including Bauchi, Kano and Kaduna. Attacks over the past 18 months, including the January 2012 co-ordinated improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in Kano that killed more than 180 people, also showed a significant increase in the group’s capability. This is likely to be because the group has received training from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and support from Boko Haram sympathisers within the armed forces.