The 2009 Boko Haram uprising was a conflict between

Boko Haram Boko Haram, officially known as ''Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād'' ( ar, جماعة أهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, lit=Group of the People of Sunnah for Dawah and Jihad), is an Islamic terrorist organization ...

, a militant Islamist group, and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

n security forces.

History

Violence across several states in northeastern Nigeria resulted in more than 1,000 dead, with around 700 killed in the city of

Maiduguri Maiduguri is the capital and the largest city of Borno State Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border form ...

alone, according to one military official. A government inquiry later found that, while long-standing tensions existed between Boko Haram and the Nigerian Security forces, the immediate cause of the violence stemmed from a confrontation between a group of sect members and joint tax forces located at custom bridge Gamboru ward in the city of Maiduguri. The Boko Haram members were en route to bury one of their members at the Gwange cemetery. The officers, part of a special operation to suppress violence and rampant crime in Borno State, demanded that the young men comply with a law requiring motorcycle passengers to wear helmets. They refused and, in the confrontation that followed, police shot and wounded several of the men. According to initial media reports, the violence began on 26 July when Boko Haram launched an attack on a police station in Bauchi State. Clashes between militants and the

Nigeria Police Force The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. Designated by the 1999 constitution as the national police of Nigeria with exclusive jurisdiction throughout the country, as at 2016 it has a s ...

erupted in Kano, Yobe and Borno soon after. But President

Umaru Yar’Adua Umaru Musa Yar'Adua (16 August 19515 May 2010) was a Nigerian politician who, was the President of Nigeria from 2007 to 2010. He was declared the winner of the Nigerian presidential election held on 21 April 2007, and was sworn in on 29 May 20 ...

disputed this version of events, claiming that government security forces had struck first. “I want to emphasize that this is not an inter-religious crisis and it is not the Taliban group that attacked the security agents first, no. It was as a result of a security information gathered on their intention ... to launch a major attack," he said. Nigerian troops surrounded the home of Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf, the founder and spiritual leader of Boko Haram since 2002, in Maiduguri on 28 July after his followers had barricaded themselves inside. On July 30, the military captured Yusuf and transferred him to the custody of the police. They summarily executed him in public outside police headquarters. ''Islam Online'' suggests that politics, not religion, was the cause of the violence. People such as Christian pastor George Orjih were murdered specifically because they refused to convert to Islam. Prior to the clashes, many local Muslim leaders and at least one military official had warned the Nigerian authorities about the Boko Haram sect. Those warnings were reportedly ignored.

Bauchi, Bauchi State

On 26 July, more than 50 people were killed and several dozen were injured in

Bauchi Bauchi (earlier Yakoba) is a city in northeast Nigeria, the Administrative center of Bauchi State, of the Bauchi Local Government Area within that State, and of the traditional Bauchi Emirate. It is located on the northern edge of the Jos Plateau ...

when a firefight erupted as a police station was attacked by 70 Nigerian Boko Haram sect members, who were armed with grenades and small arms. One government soldier and 32 Boko Haram militants were killed in the aftermath of the initial attack. The government claimed that 39 militants had been killed, and confirmed the death of a soldier. The attack was initiated by Boko Haram after their leaders were detained by the police. Security forces retaliated by raiding the neighbourhoods where the group was entrenched.

Isa Yuguda Mallam Isa Yuguda (born 15 June 1956) was Governor of Bauchi State, Nigeria. He was first elected in April 2007, on the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) platform. In April 2009, he changed allegiance from the ANPP to the People's Democratic Part ...

, State

Governor of Bauchi This is a list of administrators and governors of Bauchi State, Nigeria. Bauchi State was formed in 1976-02-03 when North-Eastern State was divided into Bauchi, Borno, and Gongola states. See also * States of Nigeria *List of state governors ...

, commented: "We have pre-empted the militants. Otherwise the situation would have been bad. I'm calling on all the people of Bauchi to be calm and be rest assured the situation has been brought under control." Yuguda declared a night-time curfew, and the police maintained a visible profile. Businesses remained open in the area.

Maiduguri, Borno State

In July 2009, media reported that 100 bodies were found beside police headquarters in

. Hundreds of people were leaving their homes to escape the violence. A jailbreak was reported but was not immediately confirmed. Several civilian corpses lay in the city's streets; witnesses said they had been shot after being pulled from their cars. The country's army and police were both on patrol and firing at suspects. On 28 July, Army soldiers reportedly launched an offensive on the compound of sect leader Mohammed Yusuf and a nearby mosque used by his followers in the

Borno state Borno State is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Yobe to the west, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa to the south while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon, its northern border ...

capital of Maiduguri. Troops shelled Mohammed Yusuf's home in the city after Yusuf's followers barricaded themselves inside. Shots rained across the city. On 30 July, Nigerian security forces killed 100 Boko Haram militants in fighting in Maiduguri. Security forces fought their way into a mosque occupied by militants, raking the interior with machine gun fire. Elsewhere, Military and Police forces engaged militants in house-to-house fighting. It was initially reported that Boko Haram vice-chairman

Abubakar Shekau Abu Mohammed Abubakar al-Sheikawi (also known by the alias ''Darul Akeem wa Zamunda Tawheed'', or ''Darul Tawheed''; "the abode of monotheism"; born 1965, 1969 or 1975 – 19 May 2021) was a Kanuri man known as the leader of Boko Haram, a Niger ...

had been killed, but he was later reported alive. Nigerian policemen were also killed. After the government declared Maidguri to be secured, Nigerian forces began setting up mortar positions to shell the remaining enemy compound. On 30 July, Yusuf was captured by the military and handed over to the police at the police headquarters in Maiduguri. Police officers summarily executed Yusuf inside the compound in full view of public onlookers. Police officials initially claimed that either Yusuf was shot while trying to escape or died of wounds sustained during a gun battle with the military. The police also executed other Boko Haram suspects, including Yusuf's father-in-law, outside the police headquarters. On 2 August, a group of women and children abducted by Boko Haram were found locked in a house in Maiduguri. The military said a total of 700 people were killed in Maiduguri during the clashes. The

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

later said that it had taken 780 bodies from the streets of the city to be buried in mass graves.

Potiskum, Yobe State

A gun battle lasting several hours took place in

Potiskum Potiskum is the largest city in Yobe State and originally the town has about three major tribes which include a Ngizim, bolawa and kara-kare. It is one of the Local Government Area in Yobe State Nigeria, it is on the A3 highway at . History The ...

. Boko Haram militants set a police station on fire using fuel-laden motorcycles. The police station burned to the ground, and as a result, a police officer and a fire safety officer were both killed. Police engaged the fighters and wounded several. Police arrested 23 fighters after the battle. According to Nigerian sources, 43 Boko Haram fighters were killed in a shootout near the city on 30 July.

Wudil, Kano State

Three people were killed in an attack in Wudil, and police forces made more than 33 arrests. Wudil's senior police officer was injured.

References

External links

* ''Al Jazeera'' (9 February 2010)
Video shows Nigeria 'executions'
* Baldauf, Scott (29 July 2009)

''Christian Science Monitor'' * Human Rights Watch (2012)
''Spiraling Violence: Boko Haram Attacks and Security Force Abuses in Nigeria''
11 October 2012 * Murtada, Ahmad (2013)
''Boko Haram: Its Beginnings, Principles and Activities in Nigeria''
Islamic Studies Department, University of Bayero, Kano, Nigeria {{DEFAULTSORT:Boko Haram uprising, 2009 2009 murders in Nigeria 2009 mass shootings in Africa 2009 riots 2000s massacres in Nigeria 21st century in Maiduguri 21st century in Yobe State Arson in Nigeria Arson in the 2000s Attacks on buildings and structures in 2009 Attacks on buildings and structures in Nigeria Attacks on police stations in the 2000s Battles in 2009 Battles involving Nigeria Bauchi State Crime in Kano State Crime in Maiduguri Islamic extremism in Northern Nigeria July 2009 crimes July 2009 events in Nigeria Kano State Mass murder in 2009 Mass murder in Borno State Mass shootings in Nigeria 2009 uprising Military of Nigeria Murder in Yobe State Potiskum Riots and civil disorder in Nigeria Terrorist incidents in Africa in 2009 Terrorist incidents in Borno State Terrorist incidents in Nigeria in the 2000s Terrorist incidents in Yobe State Attacks in Nigeria in 2009