Latest Attacks in Nigeria Show Boko Haram's Limitations

Two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIEDs) exploded April 26 in the offices of several Nigerian news agencies located in Abuja and Kaduna. The first explosion took place around 11:30 a.m. when a suicide bomber reportedly drove a vehicle into the main compound of a This Day newspaper office in Abuja, killing at least three people. The second explosion took place near a compound in Kaduna that houses offices of The Sun, The Moment and This Day newspapers, killing several bystanders. The combined casualty estimates for the attacks reach as high as 37 dead and 100 injured. Although militant Islamist group Boko Haram has not claimed credit for the attacks, no other group in Nigeria has demonstrated the ability to deploy VBIEDs with suicide bombers.

These incidents, in addition to an April 24 soft target attack in Jos, suggest that Boko Haram is still capable of using its network to conduct attacks beyond its core in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state. They also show that Boko Haram members retain the capability of constructing and employing successful VBIEDs in their operations. However, the attackers' focus on relatively soft targets suggests that they were most likely unable to follow through with previous threats against harder targets with increased security measures in place.