Terrorist Attacks That Shook Nigeria in 2025

In 2025, Nigeria has continued to face brutal attacks from Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and other armed groups, especially in the North-East and North-West. 

These groups have targeted farmers, traders, soldiers and schoolchildren, using bomb attacks, raids and kidnappings.

Below are five of the most shocking attacks reported in 2025:

1. Mass Killing of Farmers in Dumba, Borno (January 2025)

In mid-January, suspected Islamist militants attacked farming communities around Dumba in Borno State, killing at least 40 farmers. Officials and rights groups linked the assault to Boko Haram and ISWAP, describing it as part of a wider pattern of attacks on rural communities.

The victims were ordinary villagers trying to farm in areas considered risky but necessary for survival. The attack led to mass burials and renewed warnings from the Borno State government for civilians to stay within “safe zones” cleared by the military.

2. Roadside Bomb Kills 26 on Rann–Gamboru Road (April 2025)

On 28 April, at least 26 people, including women and children, were killed when vehicles ran over improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the road between Rann and Gamboru in Borno State. The victims were mainly farmers and traders travelling in packed vehicles.

ISWAP later claimed responsibility. Security officials suggested the IEDs may originally have been laid to target patrols, but as so often happens, civilians paid the price.

3. Coordinated Attacks on Military Bases in Borno and Yobe (March–May 2025)

In late March, suspected Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters launched coordinated assaults on two army bases at Wajiroko and Wulgo in Borno State, killing several soldiers and injuring others, while destroying equipment.

In May, ISWAP escalated further, attacking a base in Wulgo near the Cameroonian border and another base in neighbouring Yobe State just days apart, in complex operations involving large numbers of fighters.

4. Schoolgirls Abducted in Kebbi State (November 2025)

On 17 November, gunmen raided Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State, around 4 a.m. They abducted 25 schoolgirls, killed the vice-principal and injured another staff member.

Authorities described the attackers as a criminal gang, but the method, storming a boarding school at night and taking girls from their dormitory, echoed past mass abductions in the North.

5. Escalating Attacks on Soldiers in Borno (January–October 2025)

Throughout 2025, Nigeria’s armed forces have suffered repeated deadly ambushes in the North-East. In January, reports indicated that around 35 soldiers were killed in a three-week period in clashes with ISWAP, including an attack in which about 20 troops died.

On 19 October, Boko Haram fighters struck again in Konduga, Borno State, killing seven soldiers and injuring others. Earlier in October, four soldiers were also killed when troops repelled a coordinated attack in Ngamdu, another Borno community on a key highway.