NIGERIA: Timeline of Boko Haram attacks and related violence

Sources: IRIN , Wikipedia

 

2002: Mohammed Yusuf founded   Boko Haram in 2002, establishing a mosque called Markaz as the headquarters of his movement, following his expulsion from two mosques in Maiduguri by Muslim clerics for propagating his radical views.

23-31 December 2003: A group of about 200 members of a BH splinter group launched attacks on police stations in the towns of Kanamma and Geidam in Yobe State from their enclave outside Kanamma on the Nigerian border with Niger. The militants killed several policemen and requisitioned police weapons and vehicles. Following the deployment of military troops to contain the insurrection, 18 militants were killed, and a number arrested.

June 2004: Four members of BH were killed by prison guards in a foiled jail break in Yobe State capital Damaturu. 

7 January 2004: Seven members of BH killed and three others arrested by a team of local vigilantes outside the town of Damboa, Borno State, near border with Chad. Bags containing AK-47 rifles were recovered from sect members. 

23 September 2004: A BH splinter group launches a militia attack on police stations in the towns of Gwoza and Bama in Borno State, killing four policemen and two civilians. They took to the Mandara mountains along the Nigeria-Cameroon border. Soldiers and two gunships were deployed in the mountains and after two days of battle 27 sect members were killed while the rest slipped away. Five BH members who crossed into Cameroon were arrested by Cameroonian gendarmes who had been alerted by Nigerian authorities. The five were deported and handed over to Nigerian authorities. 

10 October 2004: Gunmen from a BH splinter group attack a convoy of 60 policemen in an ambush near the town of Kala-Balge on the border with Chad. The militants took 12 policemen hostage and police authorities presumed they were killed by the gunmen because all attempts to trace them failed. 

2005-2008: BH concentrated on recruiting new members and shoring up its resources. As evidence of their growing popularity, Borno State governor Ali Modu Sheriff appoints an influential BH member, Buju Foi, as his commissioner of religious affairs in 2007. 

11-12 June 2009: BH leader Mohammed Yusuf threatens reprisals in a video recording to the president following the killing of 17 BH members in a joint military and police operation in Borno State. This was after a disagreement over BH members’ alleged refusal to use crash helmets while in a funeral procession to bury members who had died in a car accident.

26 July 2009: BH launches a short-lived uprising in parts of the north, which is quelled by a military crackdown that leaves more than 800 dead – mostly sect members, including BH leader Mohammed Yusuf. A mosque in the capital of Borno State (Maiduguri) that served as a sect headquarters is burnt down. 

7 September 2010: A group of BH gunmen free over 700 inmates including around 100 sect members from a prison in Bauchi. Four people including a soldier, one policeman and two residents were killed in the raid. 

24 and 27 December 2010: A series of attacks claimed by BH in the central city of Jos and Maiduguri kill at least 86.

29 December 2010: Suspected BH gunmen shoot dead eight people in Maiduguri, including the governorship candidate of the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Borno State

27 May 2011: A group of around 70 suspected BH gunmen kill eight people including four policemen in simultaneous gun and bomb attacks on a police station, a police barracks and a bank in Damboa, Borno State, near the border with Chad. 

29 May 2011: Three bombs rip through a beer garden in a military barracks in the northern city of Bauchi, killing 13 and wounding 33. BH claims responsibility. 

6 June 2011: Muslim cleric Ibrahim Birkuti, critical of BH, shot dead by two motorcycle-riding BH gunmen outside his house in Biu, 200km from Maiduguri. 

7 June 2011: Attacks on a church and two police posts in Maiduguri, blamed on the sect, leave at least 14 dead. 

16 June 2011: BH targets national police headquarters in Abuja, killing two 

20 June 2011: Seven people including five policemen killed in gun and bomb attacks on a police station and a bank in Kankara, Katsina State. 

27 June 2011: BH’s gun and bomb attack on a beer garden in Maiduguri leaves at least 25 dead and dozens injured. 

July 2011: Government says it will open a negotiation panel to initiate negotiations with BH.

3 August 2011: The government rejects negotiations with BH.

25 August 2011: Gun and bomb attacks by BH on two police stations and two banks in Gombi, Adamawa State, kill at least 16 people, including seven policemen.

26 August 2011: BH claims responsibility for a suicide bomb blast on the UN compound in Abuja, killing 23 people. 

1 September 2011: A shootout between BH gunmen and soldiers in Song, Adamawa State, kills one sect members while another is injured and captured. 

4 September 2011: Muslim cleric Malam Dala shot dead by two BH members outside his home in the Zinnari area of Maiduguri.

12 September 2011: Seven men, including four policemen, are killed by BH gunmen in bomb and shooting attacks on a police station and a bank in Misau, Bauchi State. The attackers rob the bank. 

13 September 2011: Four soldiers shot and wounded in an ambush by BH members in Maiduguri shortly after the arrest of 15 sect members in military raids on BH hideouts in the city. 

17 September 2011: Babakura Fugu, brother-in-law to slain BH leader Mohammed Yusuf, is shot dead outside his house in Maiduguri two days after attending a peace meeting with Nigeria’s ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo in the city. BH denies any involvement in the incident. 

1 October 2011: A butcher and his assistant are killed by BH gunmen at Baga market in Maiduguri in a targeted killing. In a separate incident, three people are killed in a shoot-out following BH bomb and shooting attacks on a military patrol vehicle delivering food to soldiers at a checkpoint in Maiduguri. All three victims are civilians. 

3 October 2011: Three killed in BH attacks on Baga market in Maiduguri, Borno State. The victims included a tea-seller, a drug store owner and a passer-by. 

23 Oct 2011: BH members kill a policeman and a bank security guard in bombing and shooting attacks on a police station and two banks in Saminaka, Kaduna State.

23 Oct 2011: Sect members open fire on a market in the town of Katari in Kaduna State, killing two.

25 Oct 2011: A policeman is shot dead in his house in a targeted attack by BH gunmen in Damaturu.

29 Oct 2011: BH gunmen shoot dead Muslim cleric Sheikh Ali Jana’a outside his home in the Bulabulin Ngarnam neighbourhood of Maiduguri. Jana’a is known to have provided information to security forces regarding the sect.

November 2011: BH says it will not dialogue with the government until all of its members who have been arrested are released.

2 Nov 2011: A soldier on duty is shot dead by sect members outside Maiduguri’s main market.

4 Nov 2011: The motorcade of Borno State governor Kashim Shettima comes under BH bomb attack in Maiduguri on its way from the airport to the governor’s residence as he returns from a trip to Abuja. Around 150 are killed in coordinated BH bombing and shooting attacks on police facilities in Damaturu and Potiskum in Yobe State. Two BH suicide-bombers blow themselves up outside the military Joint Task Force headquarters in Maiduguri in a botched suicide attack. 

9 Nov 2011: BH members bomb a police station and the office of Nigeria’s road safety agency in Maina village, Borno State. No one is hurt.

26 Nov 2011: Three policemen and a civilian are wounded in BH bomb and shooting attacks in Geidam, Yobe State. Six churches, a police station, a beer parlour, a shopping complex, a high court, a local council building and 11 cars are burnt in the attacks.

27 Nov 2011: A Borno State protocol officer in the office of the governor is shot dead by motorcycle-riding sect members while driving home.

4 Dec 2011: A soldier, a policeman and a civilian are killed in bomb and gun attacks on police buildings and two banks in Azare, Bauchi State. BH open fire at a wedding in Maiduguri, killing the groom and a guest.

7 Dec 2011: An explosion linked to BH kills eight in the Oriyapata district of Kaduna city.

13 Dec 2011: A bomb attack on a military checkpoint by BH and resulting shooting by soldiers in Maiduguri leaves 10 dead and 30 injured.

17 Dec 2011: A shootout between sect members and policemen following a raid on the hideout of a BH sect leader in the Darmanawa area of Kano State kills seven, including three police officers. Police arrest 14 BH suspects and seize large amount of arms and bombs. Three BH members die in an accidental explosion while assembling home-made bombs in a hideout on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

19 Dec 2011: One suspected BH member dies and two others wounded in an accidental explosion while assembling a home-made bomb in a hideout in Damaturu.

22 Dec 2011: BH bombs in parts of Maiduguri kill 20. Four policemen and a civilian are killed in gun and bomb attacks on a police building in Potiskum, Yobe State. Around 100 are killed following multiple bomb and shooting attacks by BH gunmen and ensuing gun battles with troops in the Pompomari outskirts of Damaturu.

25 Dec 2011: A Christmas Day BH bomb attack on Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla town near Abuja kills 42 worshippers. Three secret police (SSS) operatives and a BH bomber are killed in a suicide attack when the bomber rams his bomb-laden car into a military convoy at the gates of SSS headquarters in Damaturu. A policeman is killed in a botched BH bomb attack on a church in the Ray Field area of Jos, capital of Plateau State. 

28 Dec 2011: A bombing and shooting attack by BH on a beer parlour in the town of Mubi, Adamawa State, wounds 15.

30 Dec 2011: Four Muslim worshippers are killed in a BH bomb and shooting attack targeting a military checkpoint in Maiduguri as worshippers leave a mosque after attending Friday prayers. 

1 Jan 2012: President Goodluck Jonathan imposes a state of emergency on 15 local government areas hardest-hit by BH attacks, in Borno, Yobe and Plateau states. He orders the closure of Nigerian borders in the north.

3 Jan 2012: BH gunmen attack a police station in the town of Birniwa in Jigawa State killing a teenage girl and wounding a police officer.

5 Jan 2012: Six worshippers are killed and 10 others wounded when BH gunmen attack a church in Gombe city.

6 Jan 2012: Eight worshippers are killed in a shooting attack on a church in Yola. BH gunmen shoot dead 17 Christian mourners in the town of Mubi in the northeastern state of Adamawa. The victims are friends and relations of one of five people killed in a BH attack on a hotel the previous day

7 Jan 2012: Three Christian poker players are killed and seven others wounded by BH gunmen in the town of Biu.

9 Jan 2012: BH gunmen shoot dead a secret police operative along with his civilian friend as they leave a mosque in Biu, Borno State, 200km south of the state capital, Maiduguri. The president says BH has infiltrated the executive, parliamentary and judicial wings of government.

10 Jan 2012: A BH attack on a beer garden kills eight, including five policemen and a teenage girl, in Damaturu, capital of Yobe State.

11 Jan 2012: Four Christians killed by BH gunmen in Potiskum, Yobe State, when gunmen open fire on their car as they stop for fuel. The victims had been fleeing Maiduguri to their home town in eastern Nigeria.

13 Jan 2012: BH kills four and injures two others, including a policeman, in two separate attacks on pubs in Yola (Adawama State) and Gombe city in neighbouring Gombe State.

17 Jan 2012: Two soldiers and four BH gunmen are killed in an attack on a military checkpoint in Maiduguri, Borno State. Soldiers arrest six high-profile BH members in a raid on a sect hideout in the city.

18 Jan 2012: A key suspect in the 2011 Christmas Day bombing in Abuja, which killed more than 40 people, escapes police custody.

20 Jan 2012: Several bomb blasts rocked various points in Kano City including the Zone I Police Headquarters, Sharada; the State Security Service Headquarters, Kano; Kano State Police Command, Bompai; Immigration Passport Office; Farm Centre Police Station; Naibawa Police Station; Yaar Akwa Police Station, Ungwar Uku and Jedijedi Police Station. Red Cross officials said about 120 corpses had been picked from the street, with many people injured.

24 January 2012: Gunmen throw explosives at, and open fire on, a police station in Kano following deadly BH attacks on 20 January.

26 January 2012: A German construction engineer is kidnapped from a construction site in Kano. An explosion rocks a bus terminal in Kano, injuring two people and forcing the area to be evacuated. The authorities announce the arrest of around 200 people following bombings and shootings in Kano, with most of those detained Chadian mercenaries.

27 January 2012: Gunmen open fire on a police station in Kano, killing one officer.

28 January 2012: A BH spokesman rejects a call by President Jonathan for talks, and threatens fresh attacks if captured BH members are not freed. Troops kill 11 BH fighters during a shootout in Maiduguri.

29 January 2012: The Nigerian secret service says it has arrested BH spokesman Abul Qaqa at a hideout in Kaduna but BH rejects the claim, saying the man arrested is Abu Dardaa, the group's head of "Propagation and Enlightenment". In the Rigasa area of Kaduna, gunmen on motorcycles kill two policemen.

30 January 2012: Gunmen on motorcycles kill two people and injure two others in the town of Gamboru Ngala on the border with Cameroon. Gunmen attack two more police stations in Kano, killing at least two people. Gunmen on a bicycle shoot dead a guard outside a church in Potiskum.

1 February 2012: BH asks Kano residents to bear with the violence, in a bid to show people that the sect is only trying to target the government.

2 February 2012: Six BH members are killed by fellow sect members in an area of Maiduguri in an internal feud. Multiple blasts rock the city.

5 February 2012: Gunmen kill a secret police officer in front of his house in Damaturu.

6 February 2012: Multiple blasts at Gamboru market in Maiduguri set several vehicles and shops on fire. Gunmen blow up a police station and injure one officer in the Sharada area of Kano.

7 February 2012: Explosions rock an army barracks, a bridge and an air base in Kaduna in suicide attacks claimed by BH.

9 February 2012: Gunmen in Kano shoot dead a man known for publicly criticizing BH Islamists.

10 February 2012: Two explosions outside a customs building in Maiduguri kill four BH bombers and wound two soldiers. Gunmen shoot dead two Christian traders and a Muslim cleric in separate attacks in Potiskum. Nigerian authorities re-arrest the alleged mastermind of a Christmas Day church bombing (that killed at least 44 people) after he escaped from custody.

12 February 2012: Army kills 12 suspected BH Islamists during a raid in Maiduguri.

14 February 2012: A police bomb disposal expert is killed when a bomb he is defusing explodes. The bomb was planted near a military checkpoint.

15 February 2012: BH launches a raid on a prison in central Nigeria in which 119 inmates are set free.

17 February 2012: Gunmen kill three policemen and injure another in two separate attacks in central Nigeria's Niger State capital Minna.

19 February 2012: Several wounded in explosion near a church outside Abuja.

20 February 2012: At least 30 killed in gun and explosives attacks on a market in Maiduguri. BH claims responsibility.

22 February 2012: BH Islamists hurl explosives and fire at a military checkpoint, igniting a gun battle Kano. No casualties.

23 February 2012: Military chief says BH tied to Al-Qaeda – the first such claim by the Nigerian government. BH gunmen kill four policemen near police chief's home in Kano and shoot dead two more in Lapai town in central Niger state.

24 February 2012: BH gunmen kill 14 people in an overnight raid on a police station in the northeastern city of Gombe.

26 February 2012: Gunmen kill three policemen and wound two others in an attack on a police station in Shuwa village, Adamawa State. A suicide bomb attack kills three people outside a church in the central city of Jos.

28 February 2012: Gunmen use explosives to burn a state-run primary school in Maiduguri, the fourth such attack in a week. Gunmen kill three policemen in a gun and explosives attack on a police station in the town of Jama’are in Bauchi State.

2 March 2012: Two motorcycle-riding gunmen kill a soldier guarding the home of a senior military officer in Kano and steal his gun.

3 March 2012: Three BH Islamists are killed while assembling bombs in the city of Maiduguri.

4 March 2012: A mob lights fires and marches through Kano to protest the killing of a motorcyclist by soldiers deployed to counter BH Islamists.

5 March 2012: Troops in the city of Maiduguri shoot dead three BH members as they try to burn down a public primary school. Gunmen attack the home of a senior officer in Kano, killing two officers on guard.

6 March 2012: BH gunmen kill Nigeria customs chief in charge of Yobe and Borno states in his home in Potiskum. Islamists attack a prison, police station and local government office in Konduga town in northeastern Nigeria, wounding three police officers.

8 March 2012: A British and an Italian hostage kidnapped in Nigeria in 2011 die in a foiled rescue bid in Sokoto. The alleged mastermind of the kidnapping of a Briton and an Italian dies after suffering gunshot wounds in a security raid. Gunmen kill three policemen in an attack on a police station and two banks in Ashaka town in Gombe State

10 March 2012: Gunmen shoot dead a senior police officer in charge of a special squad to fight robbery in northern Nigeria's Adamawa State.

11 March 2012: At least 10 people are killed in a suicide attack on a church in the central city of Jos.

13 March 2012: Gunmen open fire and throw explosives at a military and police patrol in northeastern Nigeria, killing a policeman, a soldier and three civilians.

17 March 2012: A respected cleric mediating in peace talks between the Nigerian government and BH pulls out of the negotiations, accusing the government of insincerity.

21 March 2012: A BH spokesman rules out discussion with the government after indirect contacts. Nigerian troops ambush and kill nine gunmen after attacks on a police station and a bank in Tudun Wada town outside Kano. A BH spokesman rules out further talks with Nigeria's government after preliminary, indirect contacts.

25 March 2012: Six people – a former police officer and two of his friends as well as three gunmen – are killed in a shootout in Maiduguri.

29 March 2012: Gunmen bomb a police station in Damagun town outside Damaturu and free more than a dozen prisoners, leaving three assailants and a policeman killed in an attack claimed by BH.

30 March 2012: Four killed when attackers use bombs and gunfire to attack a police station and rob a bank in Askira Uba town outside Maiduguri.

1 April 2012: Nigerian troops clash with members of BH while raiding a hideout, leaving 11 dead, including a soldier and policeman.

2 April 2012: Gunmen shoot dead a Nigeria secret police officer at a barber's shop in the northeastern city of Maiduguri.

5 April 2012: Seven people killed in an attack on a Maiduguri market.

8 April 2012: An Easter bomb attack on a church in the northern city of Kaduna claims at least 41 lives. Several people are injured in a separate attack on a church in Jos

10 April 2012: At least 10 are killed when gunmen burn down immigration and customs posts in the town of Banki on the border with Cameroon.

12 April 2012: The leader of BH vows to fight on in a video message to President Goodluck Jonathan posted on YouTube.

13 April 2012: Gunmen shoot dead two men near a community centre showing soccer matches in northern Nigeria, days after BH reportedly called for such places to be closed.

17 April 2012: Nigerian troops kill one member of BH and arrest 13 others in dawn raids on two hideouts in Maiduguri.

20 April 2012: BH gunmen kill eight, including a policeman, in three separate attacks in Maiduguri.

23 April 2012: Five BH militants are killed when bombs they are assembling explode during a shootout with government troops in Maiduguri.

26 April 2012: Suicide attacks against two offices (in Abuja and Kaduna) of one of Nigeria’s most influential newspapers kill at least nine people, with BH claiming the attacks.

27 April 2012: Gunmen suspected of belonging to BH kill a police inspector outside his home in Damaturu.

29 April 2012: About 20 are killed in bomb and gun attacks on church services at a university in Kano.

30 April 2012: A suicide attack targeting a senior police official's convoy in Jalingo (Taraba State capital) kills 11 and wounds 20; the senior officer is unharmed.

1 May 2012: Nigerian troops kill a BH militant during a pre-dawn raid in Kano following weekend attacks against church services that leave around 20 people dead.

2 May 2012: The head of Nigeria's Christian community issues a warning to the government to bring to an end BH attacks on Christians. Police announce the arrest of an explosives’ supplier to BH in Kano. Gunmen shoot dead three people in Potiskum.

3 May 2012: Gunmen armed with explosives kill at least 34 people in an attack on a cattle market in Potiskum and burn it to the ground.

4 May 2012: Gunmen kill seven people, including two jail guards in separate attacks, and free all inmates from a local jail in Kumshe town outside Maiduguri. Police arrest 23 sect members in a foiled attack on a police station.

5 May 2012: Gunmen open fire on a wedding party in Maiduguri, killing three people and injuring four others, including two soldiers.

6 May 2012: Soldiers in Kano kill four members of BH and arrest 12 others in a raid on a sect hideout.

9 May 2012: Soldiers in Maiduguri kill a BH Islamist and wound two others while repelling an attack.

12 May 2012: Gunmen burn down a police station in Mafa town outside Maiduguri, killing two policemen and a civilian.

11 May 2012: Nigerian troops arrest a leading BH militant, his wife and five children in a raid in Kano.

13 May 2012: Gunmen open fire on card players in Kano, killing three, including a prison warden.

17 May 2012: Militants bomb two empty schools in Kano. No casualties.

21 May 2012: Kano police arrest a person suspected of involvement in BH attacks on church services in which 20 people are killed.

23 May 2012: A police officer and a civilian are killed in a gunfight between police and Islamists outside a police station in Sokoto.

26 May 2012: Gunmen kill a Muslim cleric and a retired prison guard in separate attacks in Potiskum.

27 May 2012: Gunmen open fire on Muslim worshippers outside the home of a Shiite Muslim cleric in Potiskum, killing three people.

28 May 2012: Gunmen on a motorcycle kill four Christian Igbo traders in Yola.

29 May 2012: Nigerian troops arrest a high-profile BH member on a wanted list during a raid in Kano.

30 May 2012: Gunmen kill two bakers and wound three others in a bakery in Maiduguri.

31 May 2012: A German hostage is killed in Kano during a rescue bid. His five captors also die in the military raid. Gunmen abduct an Italian engineer in central Kwara State.

3 June 2012: Suicide bomber tries to drive an explosives-packed car into a northern Nigeria church previously attacked by BH, killing at least 15 and injuring 40. BH claims the attack.

5 June 2012: BH gunmen kill a former deputy police chief, his driver and a bodyguard in the city of Kano. BH claims the attack.

6 June 2012: Soldiers kill 16 Islamists during a raid on a sect hideout in Maiduguri.

8 June 2012: A suicide blast at the police headquarters in Maiduguri kills one police officer and four civilians as well as injuring several others. An improvised explosive device concealed in a bag kept under a public shed explodes and kills one in Maiduguri town.

9 June 2012: Gunmen kill five people, including two policemen and a customs officer, in separate attacks in Kano and Potiskum.

10 June 2012: A suicide bomber blows his car up outside a church and gunmen open fire on another church service in Jos, killing three people and wounding dozens in attacks claimed by BH. Gunman opens fire on a church in the northeastern Nigerian town of Biu, killing one person and wounding several others.

12 June 2012: Gunmen kill a lawyer in Potiskum.

15 June 2012: Nigerian troops kill four suspected BH Islamists during a dawn raid on a sect hideout in Kano.

17 June 2012: BH claims suicide attacks at three churches in Kaduna and Zaria, sparking reprisal violence by Christian mobs who burn mosques and target their Muslim neighbours. More than 100 are killed over a week.

19 June 2012: Gun battles between security forces and BH gunmen in Damaturu kill 34, including three police officers and a soldier.

21 June 2012: The USA designates three leaders of BH as “global terrorists”. Nigerian troops arrest a high-profile BH member suspected of involvement in the suicide bombing of a UN building in Abuja that killed 26, and Christmas Day bombings near Abuja that killed at least 44 people outside Abuja.

22 June 2012: Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan fires his national security adviser and defence minister. A blast goes off outside a nightclub in Abuja – no casualties.

24 June 2012: BH Islamists raid a prison in Damaturu, leaving four prison guards dead and freeing 40 Islamists.

26 June 2012: Police in Kano repel coordinated BH attacks on police formations in which a police officer is killed; 17 Islamists killed and three arrested. Gunmen launch an overnight attack on a regional police headquarters in the town of Wukari in Taraba State, killing three officers. Two civilians are also killed in the attack.

30 June 2012: Security forces kill three in a pre-emptive offensive against BH Islamists in Damaturu.

2 July 2012: Attackers kill nine construction workers in their lodge in Maiduguri.

3 July 2012: Explosion outside a shopping mall in Abuja; a second unexploded bomb is later discovered.

5 July 2012: A Nigerian court accuses two men of having links with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and of receiving funds from the militant group to be used in conscripting and sending recruits to Yemen.

10 July 2012: BH claims responsibility for raids by gunmen in central Plateau State on 7-8 July which leave more than 100 people dead.

13 July 2012: Five people are killed in a failed suicide attack on Shehu of Borno, an influential Islamic and traditional leader, outside a mosque in Maiduguri.

16 July 2012: Police repel a BH attack on police headquarters in Damaturu.

18 July 2012: Nigeria lifts a six-month state of emergency it imposed in four states following a wave of BH attacks.

19 July 2012: Gunmen on two motorcycles kill three people, including a police constable, in Kano. Two traders are shot dead by gunmen in a major market in Maiduguri.

22 July 2012: A bomb blast in Bauchi city, in an area with clusters of bars and entertainment spots, kills a 10-year-old boy and wounds 10 others.

25 July 2012: Gunmen attack a factory in Maiduguri, killing two Indian nationals and stealing US$600.

28 July 2012: Nigerian soldiers arrest 26 BH members and kill two others in a raid in Maiduguri after an attack leaves two Indian nationals dead.

29 July 2012: A gun battle near a mosque in Kano and two other shootings leave at least eight dead, including two air force personnel and three BH gunmen. Two former Nigerian leaders issue a rare joint statement calling for talks to end BH violence, warning the violence could put the nation's unity at risk.

30 July 2012: Suicide bombings at two police stations kill two people in the city of Sokoto, the historic seat of Islam in Nigeria.

1 August 2012: Two BH Islamists are killed by soldiers during a shootout on the border with Chad while trying to smuggle heavy weapons into the country.

3 August 2012: A top Muslim traditional leader in Potiskum escapes a suicide attack when the bomber is thwarted by locals before blowing himself up outside a mosque.

6 August 2012: BH gunmen open fire on an evangelical church during a service in Okene in Kogi State, central Nigeria, killing at least 19 people. Two soldiers are shot dead by gunmen who fire on their patrol van in the same city.

12 August 2012: A military raid on a BH hideout in Maiduguri leaves 20 Islamists and a soldier dead. Two Islamists are killed and more than 30 others arrested by a joint military and police team in a shootout in Damaturu.

19 August 2012: Gunmen blow up a primary school, a church and police station in Damagun town in Yobe State. Two gunmen on motorcycles open fire on troops at a military checkpoint in Kano, injuring a soldier.

26 August 2012: Gunmen open fire and kill a policeman as he walks home from work in Damaturu.

4-5 September 2012: BH launches attacks on at least two dozen mobile phone towers across northern Nigeria in which more than 20 people are killed.

7 September 2012: Soldiers gun down seven Islamists in a shootout in Maiduguri.

12 September 2012: Troops arrest 11 Islamists and recover arms and explosives in a raid near Maiduguri.

16 September 2012: Six are shot dead and nine injured when BH gunmen fire into a group of ludo game players in Bauchi. Islamists kill a Nigerian security officer and three members of his family in Kano.

17 September 2012: Nigerian soldiers shoot dead BH spokesman on the outskirts of Kano. Gunmen kill Borno State justice commissioner in his hometown of Bama and also an ex-Nigerian prisons chief in Azare town in Bauchi State.

20 September 2012: Soldiers in Maiduguri kill two senior BH commanders in a shootout. Eight suspected Islamists are also arrested in a separate incident.

23 September 2012: A suicide bomber blows up his explosives-laden car near a church in the city of Bauchi, killing a female worshipper and her son and injuring dozens. Authorities announce a round-the-clock curfew in Damaturu and Potiskum in a bid to hunt down BH members.

24 September 2012: Soldiers kill 35 BH Islamists in a crackdown on the insurgent group in the northeastern city of Damaturu.

25 September 2012: Troops kill a senior BH Islamist leader and arrest 156 suspected sect members during a weekend raid in Mubi town in Adamawa State.

29 September 2012: Nigerian military announces the arrest of an immigration officer in Yobe State over link with BH.

30 September 2012: A bomb blast and gunfire shake an area around an Islamic boarding school in the city of Zaria, leaving two BH Islamists dead and three others wounded.

2 October 2012: Gunmen suspected to be BH Islamists shoot and slit the throats of 26 people in a student housing area in Mubi town in Adamawa State on the border with Cameroon.

11 October 2012: Human Rights Watch puts the death toll of those killed in BH violence at 2,800 since 2009, saying Nigerian security forces as well as BH may both be guilty of crimes against humanity.

14 October 2012: A Christian couple and their child are gunned down as they leave a church in the Gwange area of Maiduguri. A local chief in the area is also killed in his house.

15 October 2012: Troops kill 24 BH Islamists in shootout in Maiduguri.

18 October 2012: Twenty-three killed in coordinated bomb and gun attacks by BH in Potiskum. Several government buildings and schools are burnt in the attacks.

19 October 2012: Troops arrest a high-profile BH member in the home of a Nigerian senator in Maiduguri. A Chinese construction worker is killed at a construction site in Maiduguri

20 October 2012: Gunmen kill eight residents of Potiskum in targeted killings.

21 October 2012: Six soldiers killed in a bomb attack targeting a military patrol vehicle in Potiskum.

28 October 2012: Ten killed and 145 injured in a suicide bomb attack on a church in Kaduna and reprisal attacks by Christians on Muslim residents.

1 November 2012: A purported BH commander makes conditional talks offer to the Nigerian government.

2 November 2012: BH gunmen kill ex-General and Nigerian civil war hero Mamma Shuwa in his home in Maiduguri. A firefighter and two security guards are killed by Islamists while trying to put out a fire (started by Islamists) in a local government secretariat building in Damboa town outside Maiduguri.

4 November 2012: Three killed in drive-by shooting by BH Islamists in the Kawo area of Kano.

6 November 2012: Four Islamists killed and four others arrested in a military raid on a sect hideout in Fika town, Yobe State.

7 November 2012: BH gunmen kill two Chinese construction engineers in an attack on a Chinese construction company yard in Benishek town outside Maiduguri.

9 November 2012: Three policemen killed and three churches burned in coordinated attacks in Bonny Yadi town, Yobe State.

10 November 2012: Gunmen kill five Christians in Gaidam town in Yobe State.

15 November 2012: Soldiers kill a top BH commander accused of killing ex-General and Nigerian civil war hero Mamman Shuwa in Maiduguri.

21 November 2012: Islamists enter three homes of security personnel in Maiduguri and kill five children.

23 November 2012: Nigerian military declares 19 BH leaders wanted and offers reward for information leading to their capture.

25 November 2012: Two policemen killed and 30 detained Islamists freed in an attack by Ansaru gunmen on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) headquarters in Abuja. Eleven killed and dozens injured in a twin-car bomb attack on a church in Jaji military cantonment outside Kaduna. A Christian couple and their child are killed by BH gunmen in Kano.

27 November 2012: Troops kill three Islamists and arrest 31 others in a raid on a sect hideout in Maiduguri. A soldier is killed and another injured in the raid.

1 December 2012: Assailants kill 10 Christian residents in Chibok town outside Maiduguri. Two policemen killed in BH attacks on security border posts in Gamboru Ngala on the border with Cameroon.

9 December 2012: Three Islamists and a police officer killed in an attack on a regional police formation in Potiskum.

19 December 2012: Islamists kidnap a French national in Rimi village outside Katsina.

22 December 2012: Two suicide bombers attack two mobile telecom companies in Kano.

23 December 2012: Ansaru claims responsibility for the kidnap of a French national in Rimi village outside Katsina, cliting France’s planned intervention in northern Mali.

24 December 2012: Six Christians, including a priest, killed in a church attack in Piri village outside Potiskum.

27 December 2012: Five BH Islamists killed in a military raid on a sect hideout in Rigasa area of Kaduna where arms are recovered.

28 December 2012: Assailants kill 15 Christians in Musari area on the outskirts of Maiduguri. Five residents and two policemen killed in bomb and gun attacks on government buildings in Maiha town in Adamawa State.

29 December 2012: Four BH gunmen and a policeman killed in a security raid on a sect hideout in Potiskum, Yobe State.

30 December 2012: A policeman and a civilian are killed in a blast at a police station in Bunkure town outside Kano. The police station is burnt in the attack.

1 January 2013: Thirteen gunmen and a soldier are killed in a shootout in Maiduguri.

2 January 2013: BH attacks a police station, kills two policemen and two civilians in Song town of Adamawa State.

4 January 2013: Five BH gunmen, a soldier and a policeman are killed in an attack by Islamists on a military checkpoint in Marte town near the border with Cameroon.

13 January 2013: A key BH commander is arrested in Maiduguri.

17 January 2013: Nigeria begins troop deployment to Mali to help fight Al Qaeda-linked Islamists, some of whom it has accused of providing support to BH. Four people, including two BH gunmen, are killed in a shootout with soldiers at a military checkpoint in Kano. Five gunmen are arrested.

18 January 2013: Nigerian authorities announce the arrest of two masterminds of a 25 November 2012 twin-car bomb attack on a church in Jaji military cantonment near Kaduna.

19 January 2013: Two Nigerian soldiers are killed and five others seriously injured in a bomb attack on a contingent of Mali-bound Nigerian troops in central Kogi State. BH splinter group Ansaru claims responsibility. Five people are killed in an attack on the convoy of the emir of Kano Ado Bayero in Kano.

21 January 2013: Some 18 local hunters are killed by gunmen in an attack on a market in Damboa town in Borno State.

22 January 2013: Gunmen kill five men playing draughts and injure two others in the Dakata District of Kano.

23 January 2013: Assailants behead five residents in the Gwange area of Maiduguri.

27 January 2013: Assailants kill eight residents of Gajiganna village near Maiduguri.

28 January 2013: A purported BH commander declares a ceasefire on behalf of the sect.

1 February 2013: Nigerian troops kill 17 Islamists in raids on BH training camps in two forests outside Maiduguri.

8 February 2013: Gunmen kill 10 polio immunization workers and injure three others in separate attacks on two polio clinics in Kano.

10 February 2013: Three North Korean doctors are killed by unknown attackers in Potiskum in northeastern Yobe State.

11 February 2013: Police in Kano parade seven BH members suspected of involvement in the 19 January 2013 attack on the convoy of the emir of Kano which killed five people. Eight other BH members are declared wanted.

15 February 2013: Two suicide bombers are killed in an attack targeting a military patrol vehicle in Maiduguri in which at least one soldier is injured. Several homes, shops and vehicles are burnt in the explosion.

16 February 2013: Gunmen kidnap seven foreign construction workers – a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese – in Jama’are, killing a security employee.

17 February 2013: Construction firm evacuates staff from Jama’are in Bauchi State.

18 February 2013: Ansaru, in an email statement, claims the kidnap of seven expatriate construction workers in Bauchi State.

19 February 2013: French President François Hollande accuses Boko Haram (BH) of the abduction of a French family in Cameroon on the border with Nigeria's Borno State.

20 February 2013: Two civilians and a suspected bomber are killed in a blast targeting a military patrol vehicle in Maiduguri.

21 February 2013: Nigerian government begins official search for a French family taken hostage on 19 February in Cameroon near the Nigerian border. Suicide blast targeting a military patrol vehicle in Maiduguri kills a civilian and injures six soldiers. A section of a market and adjoining shops, as well as a petrol station, are burnt.

17 February 2013: Two BH gunmen and two civilians are killed in a shootout between gunmen and soldiers at a checkpoint in Nigeria's northern city of Kano. A first contingent of 80 Nigerian troops departs for Mali as part of a UN-mandated African force to help the country battle Islamists who are believed to have forged a close alliance with BH.

19 February 2013: A French family of seven is kidnapped in Cameroon and taken to Nigeria. BH claims responsibility.

20 February 2013: A blast targeting a military patrol vehicle in Maiduguri kills two civilians. France urges its citizens to leave northern Cameroon after the kidnapping of seven members of a French family by BH.

21 February 2013: Nigerian security forces search the country's northeast along the border with Cameroon in a bid to free a French family kidnapped by BH.

22 February 2013: A suicide blast targeting a military vehicle in Maiduguri kills one civilian and wounds six soldiers. Gunfire rings out for hours.

23 February 2013: Five people are killed in an attack on a group of people playing cards in Maiduguri. The assailants were gunmen riding on a motorcycle.

25 February 2013: A video appears on YouTube of seven kidnapped members of a French family with their abductors, who claimed to be from BH, demanding the release of their imprisoned comrades. France condemns the video as a shocking "display of the kidnappers' cruelty”.

26 February 2013: Nigerian troops kill a suspected BH commander and three of his lieutenants during an operation in Maiduguri. France's defence minister rules out talks with the abductors of a French family seized in Cameroon, after a video of the hostages appears on YouTube.

28 February 2013: Three people, including a soldier, are injured in multiple blasts in three areas of Maiduguri, with one targeting a military patrol vehicle. Gunmen storm a residence housing foreign workers in Tella Village, in central Taraba State, killing two police guards in a failed kidnapping.

3 March 2013: Nigeria's military says it has killed 20 BH insurgents while repelling an attack in the town of Monguno of Borno State.

5 March 2013: BH leader Abubakar Shekau denies any ceasefire deal with the government in a video in which a man accused of being an informant appears to be beheaded on camera.

6 March 2013: Nigeria's top Islamic leader calls on the president to offer amnesty to all BH combatants to end violence by the sect.

7 March 2013: Nigeria's president rebuffs calls for an amnesty deal for BH during a visit to Damaturu.

8 March 2013: Nigeria's president defends the heavy deployment of soldiers to the restive northeast during a rare visit to Maiduguri.

9 March 2013: A video posted online claims to show the bodies of at least some of the seven foreign hostages believed killed by Ansaru following their abduction in northern Nigerian town of Jama’are. Lebanon is still trying to confirm the fate of two Lebanese, while Britain, Italy and Greece – whose national are among the hostages – say the murder claim appears to be true.

12 March 2013: Gunmen open fire at a primary school in the northern city of Kano, injuring four teachers before fleeing on a stolen motorcycle.

15 March 2013: Gunmen kill a senior judicial official in northern Nigeria's largest city, Kano. Gunmen raid a prison in Gwoza, in northeastern Borno State, freeing 170 inmates and killing a civilian.

16 March 2013: Nigeria rules out a ransom payment to the kidnappers holding seven members of a French family hostage, as France's foreign minister holds talks with President Goodluck Jonathan on the abductions.

18 March 2013: A suicide attack at a bus station in Nigeria’s second largest city, Kano, kills 41. BH releases a video showing the French family of seven abducted in Cameroon.

21 March 2013: The emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, says a suicide attack that killed 41 people at a bus park was intended to inflame tensions between Muslims and Christians. Bayero is the second most influential Muslim leader in Nigeria.

22 March 2013: Twenty-five are killed in northeastern Adamawa State when attackers blast a jail, a police station and a bank with bombs, machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Some 127 prison inmates escape during an attack on the jailhouse in Ganye town.

31 March 2013: Fourteen BH gunmen and a soldier are killed in military raids on a BH hideout in the northern city of Kano following Intel reports the insurgents were planning an Easter attack in the city.

4 April 2013: President Goodluck Jonathan forms a panel to look at the possibility of offering an amnesty deal to Islamist insurgents.

9 April 2013: During a European Union delegation visit to Nigeria, representatives pledge 50 million euros in support of the African force tasked with helping fight Islamist rebels in Mali.

11 April 2013: Four policemen and five BH gunmen are killed in a shootout during an attack on a police station in Babban Gida Village of Yobe State. BH leader Abubakar Shekau rejects the idea of any potential amnesty deal with the government. Borno State sets up a committee on contact with BH for the proposed presidential amnesty.

17 April 2013: The Nigerian president sets up a panel to look into how the proposed amnesty for BH should be approached.

19 April 2013: Fierce fighting between troops and suspected Islamists in the remote northeastern town of Baga kills 187 people. BH releases a French family French family of seven it abducted while holidaying in neighbouring Cameroon.

22 April 2013: The Nigerian Red Cross says heavy fighting between Nigerian troops and BH insurgents in Baga town, in Borno State, has killed 187 people, including scores of civilians, while massive blazes left nearly half the town destroyed. The US condemns the Baga clashes, urging authorities to respect human rights.

25 April 2013: Nigerian rescue workers set up temporary camps in Baga and distribute aid to the masses displaced by brutal fighting between troops and BH.

26 April 2013: Emergency officials say many survivors of brutal clashes between soldiers and BH gunmen in Baga town, which killed 187 people, are still in hiding. Twenty BH gunmen and five policemen are killed in attacks on police formations in Gashua town in Yobe State

29 April 2013: During the launch of seven new police helicopters, President Goodluck Jonathan says Nigeria is going through "a trying moment".

1 May 2013: Human Rights Watch releases satellite images showing massive destruction in the Nigerian town of Baga, voicing concern that the military has "tried to cover up" abuses that should be investigated by the International Criminal Court.

3 May 2013: A former Nigerian oil minister, Ali Monguno, is kidnapped by gunmen who storm his vehicle outside a mosque in the restive city of Maiduguri.

5 May 2013: A group of gunmen storms Njilang Village in northeast Adamawa State, killing 10 residents in attacks on a church and a market.

6 May 2013: Former oil minister Ali Monguno, who was kidnapped by gunmen in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, is released. Troops rescue the parents of a Nigerian lawmaker from Borno State, who were kidnapped the previous night by BH gunmen while on their way home from a family visit. The kidnappers are arrested.

7 May 2013: BH launches coordinated attacks in the northeastern town of Bama against security formations, killing 55 people and freeing 105 inmates.

9 May 2013: A presidential panel set to seek an amnesty deal with BH meets with 40 suspected sect members being held in Kuje prison outside Abuja.

10 May 2013: Nigeria’s president holds emergency talks with his security chiefs about a spate of deadly violence, including the BH insurgency. 

13 May 2013: BH claims responsibility for the Baga and Bama attacks in a video, which also depicts women and children apparently being held hostage.

14 May 2013: The president imposes a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, saying the level of violence calls for "extraordinary measures".

15 May 2013: Nigerian troops begin an offensive against BH in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, where a state of emergency is declared in order to retake territory seized by insurgents. The US urges Nigeria to protect the rights of civilians and avoid a "heavy-handed" response as it moves against BH militants to enforce a state of emergency.

16 May 2013: Nigeria's military announces a "massive” deployment of troops and military hardware to its restive northeast, after the president declares a state of emergency in areas where Islamist insurgents have seized territory. Phone signals are shut down in Borno and Yobe states.

17 May 2013: A sweeping offensive against BH Islamists leaves dozens of insurgents dead, as the military presses on with air raids and ground assaults across three northeastern states affected by a state of emergency, a military spokesman said. A Nigerian fighter jets is partially damaged by a BH rocket during an aerial bombardment in Sambisa Forest, but it manages to return to its base in Maiduguri. The UN's human rights office warns BH Islamists could face charges of crimes against humanity, and urges the government to ensure civilians are not swept up in an army counter-offensive. The military accuses BH of wearing army uniform during civilian attacks. Four gunmen, three soldiers and two policemen are killed in coordinated attacks on banks and police stations in the town of Daura, in Katsina State.

18 May 2013: The military imposes a 24-hour curfew in 12 neighbourhoods of Maiduguri as soldiers press on with a campaign against BH.

19 May 2013: The Nigerian army's offensive against BH Islamists in northern Borno leaves 14 insurgents and three soldiers dead in the military’s latest toll from the operation. Seven wounded BH gunmen are captured in the offensive.

20 May 2013: Nigeria's military says it has re-established control in five remote areas of the northeast Borno State where BH seized territory.

21 May 2013: Nigeria announces it will release a number of BH detainees, including all women and children, in a peace bid as it wages a military offensive against the insurgents. The Nigerian military relaxes by 10 hours a round-the-clock curfew in some areas of Maiduguri, three days after it is imposed, as soldiers press along with their campaign against BH.

24 May 2013: Nigerian authorities say they have freed three women and six children abducted by BH as part of an ongoing military operation targeting the insurgents. The group was abducted on 7 May during an attack on the town of Bama in Borno State.

25 May 2013: US Secretary of State John Kerry renews a plea to Nigerian authorities to ensure the military does not carry out atrocities against civilians in its clampdown on BH militants.

28 May 2013: BH leader Abubakar Shekau appears in a video for the first time since the state-of-emergency declaration, claiming victory over Nigerian troops and calling on global jihadists to join BH in its battle against Nigerian soldiers. Nigeria's former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, says during a Rome visit that the root causes of the Islamist insurgency by BH need to be understood before the problem can be resolved and calls on Nigerian government to use a “carrot and stick” approach in tacking BH.

31 May 2013: Nigeria's military says it has released 58 women and children held in connection with the BH insurgency in the northeast under a peace gesture.

3 June 2013: The US announces up to $23 million in rewards to help track down five
leaders of militant groups accused of spreading terror in West Africa. The highest reward, $7 million, is offered for BH leader Abubakar Shekau. Soldiers kill three BH members disguised as women and arrest 20 other insurgents clad in women’s clothing in a foiled attack on a police station in Maiduguri.

4 June 2013: Nigeria formally declares BH and the splinter Ansaru rebel group to be terrorist organizations. It issues a law banning them.

6 June 2013: Nigeria's emergency agency announces the deployment of relief items to its fleeing nationals in nearby Niger, following an ongoing military assault to crush the BH insurgency in the northeast. Nigeria's military confirms the US-designated "global terrorist" Abubakar Adam Kambar was killed in a military operation on 18 March 2012.

11 June 2013: BH gunmen disguised as mourners kill 15 residents of the Hausari area of Maiduguri in a fake funeral, a reprisal for the arrest of a sect member the previous day. The attack prompts the spontaneous formation youth vigilante groups fighting BH, forcing the insurgents to flee.

13 June 2013: Security sources say the Nigerian government has released from detention nine BH women, including BH leader Shekau’s wife, her three children, widow of BH founder Mohammed Yusuf, as well as 13 other children.

17 June 2013: BH gunmen storm a student dormitory in a secondary school in Damaturu, killing seven students and two teachers. Soldiers kill two of the gunmen in a shootout. A five-hour shootout between BH gunmen and soldiers at a military checkpoint in Damaturu leaves three soldiers wounded.

18 June 2013: Gunmen open fire on an examination hall in the Ansaruddeen private school in Maiduguri, killing five students. BH gunmen kill 13 people, including fishermen, along Alau Dam on the outskirts of Maiduguri, accusing them of collaborating with security agencies. The UN says at least 9,000 people have fled violence in northeastern Nigeria and crossed into neighbouring countries as a government offensive aims to end a four-year Islamist insurgency. A local official says some 19,000 wheat and rice farmers in Marte District, in northern Borno, have fled their fields for fear of BH attacks, raising concerns over potential food shortages. BH issues an audio clip, threatening an all-out war on youths in Maiduguri and Damaturu for helping the military against the insurgents.

19 June 2013: The Nigerian military says it has arrested eight of the suspected BH insurgents behind two deadly school attacks in Damaturu and Maiduguri, in which more than a dozen students were killed. Nigeria's military bans the use of satellite phones in the three northeastern states where mobile phone service has been cut due to the imposition of a state of emergency. The military argues the insurgents used satellite phones to plan attacks on two schools in the region, killing over a dozen students.

27 June 2013: The Yobe State government says BH has burned down a total of 209 schools in the state.

28 June 2013: Male residents of Bama, in northern Borno State, continue to flee following forced conscription by BH insurgents, who threaten to behead whoever refuses to join their ranks. BH leader Abubakar Shekau appears in a video claiming his fighters have scored several victories against the military during an ongoing offensive while themselves sustaining little damage.

29 June 2013: BH gunmen sack seven hill communities in Gwoza District, forcing residents to flee into neighbouring Cameroon and other far-flung areas.

30 June 2013: The Nigerian Human Rights Commission quotes in its new report a Nigeria police investigation report accusing soldiers of firing wildly "at anybody in sight" during a deadly April incident in the town of Baga in Borno State, in which troops razed five wards of the town. BH gunmen kill 10 cowpea traders from southern Nigeria in the town of Monguno in Borno State.

2 July 2013: A vigilante group called “Civilian JTF”, which claims to help authorities battle BH insurgents in Nigeria's northeast, sets fire to the Maiduguri home of Othman Mala, chairman of the ruling ANPP in Borno State, after accusing him of links to BH. Human Rights Watch calls on dialogue between BH and a reconciliation committee of the Nigerian government to exclude serious crimes that violate international human rights law from possible amnesty, demanding perpetrators of such crimes be held accountable.

3-8 July 2013: Troops carry out intensive raids on BH’s remaining strongholds in Bulabulin Ngarnam, Jajeri and Falluja areas of Maiduguri, killing several insurgents and rescuing women and young girls who had been kidnapped. Nigerian Muslim umbrella body JNI calls on BH to accept dialogue to end violence. 

6 July 2013: BH gunmen attack a government secondary school in Mamudo in Yobe State, killing 41 students and a teacher and setting dormitories on fire. The military arrests the chairman of the ruling All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in Borno State, Othman Mala, over suspicion of BH links.

7 July 2013: Yobe State orders the closure of all secondary schools after a massacre at a boarding secondary school in the town of Mamudo by BH gunmen. The European Union condemns the "horrific murder by terrorists" at the school.

8 July 2013: The British Home Office discloses that BH will be banned in Britain, alongside Ansar al-Sharia UK, from 13 July, subject to parliamentary approval.

9 July 2013: A Nigerian court sentences four BH members to life in prison over April 2011 bombing attacks that killed at least 22 people. The attacks were carried out on an electoral office, a campaign rally and a church in the central city of Suleja, near Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

10 July 2013: Nigeria’s special duties minister tasked with talking to BH says he is in ceasefire negotiations with the Islamist insurgents.

11 July 2013: Nigeria's military approves the restoration of phone services in northeast Adamawa State after three months of blackout, following the 15 May imposition of a state of emergency.

13 July 2013: BH leader Abubakar Shekau appears in a video expressing support for the 6 July attack on a boarding secondary school in the town of Mamudo in Yobe State that killed 41 students and a teacher, but did not claim responsibility for the massacre.

14 July 2013: Nigeria's military says it rescued women and children hostages from a BH stronghold in the Bulabulin Ngarnam area of Maiduguri, where several BH gunmen were killed following days of gun battle. The gun battle led to the discovery of a series of bunkers dug by the insurgents and a number of dead bodies. 

17 July 2013: Nigerian authorities restore the phone signal in Yobe State for the first time since the phone shutdown in three northeastern states, which followed the May 15 state of emergency declaration by the president. The president hails youth vigilantes fighting BH in the northeast as “new national heroes”

26 July 2013: BH gunmen kill 23 youth vigilantes, called the “Civilian JTF”, fighting the insurgents in an ambush near the town of Mainok, 58km from Maiduguri. The vigilantes are returning to Maiduguri, with some suspected BH members arrested in Mainok.

27 July 2013: BH gunmen kill more than 20 civilians, mostly fishermen and traders. The attack is a reprisal for an attack on them by a vigilante group in Dawashe Village, near the town of Baga in Borno State.

29 July 2013: Nigeria announces it will start to withdraw some of its troops from Mali because they are needed back home to face the BH insurgency. Four bomb blasts targeting two open beer gardens rip through the mainly Christian Sabon Gari area of Kano, killing 24 people and shattering a months-long lull in insurgent attacks.

1 August 2013: The military warns of plans by BH insurgents to carry out massive attacks and bombings in Maiduguri metropolis and other parts of Borno State during the Muslim Eid al-Fitr celebration.

4 August 2013: The military in Borno State says 32 BH gunmen, including Shekau’s deputy, two soldiers and a policeman, are killed and two soldiers are injured in two separate BH attacks on a police base in Bama town and a multi-national military checkpoint in Malam Fatori town, both in Borno State. Four all-terrain vehicles, guns, explosives, ammunitions and rocket launchers are recovered from the insurgents.

5 August 2013: Explosions and gunfire rage overnight between BH gunmen and troops in the town of Gamboru Ngala, in Borno State. The military in Yobe State places a round-the-clock curfew on Potiskum, the state's commercial hub, amid a huge military deployment ahead of the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. Factional leader of BH Muhammad Marwan claims responsibility for the 29 July bombings of two open beer gardens in Kano, which killed 24 people.

6 August 2013: Nigeria moves to extradite to the US a 33-year-old man accused of being a member of the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), court documents show. Soldiers begin house-to-house searches in select areas of the town, an apparent search for high-profile BH suspects.

10 August 2013: BH insurgents kill 12 residents in Ngom Village near Konduga. The attackers shoot dead or slaughter their victims after retiring to their homes after who retires to their homes.

11 August 2013: BH gunmen storm a mosque and open fire on worshippers just before morning prayers, killing 44 people. It accuses the community of cooperating with soldiers in the arrest of sect members, prompting an exodus of residents from the town.

12 August 2013: BH leader Abubakar Shekau appears in video taunting world leaders and vowing to defeat Nigerian authorities. 

15 August 2013: Before bilateral security talks in Abuja, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman says BH's brutal insurgency has stalled Nigeria's development, inflamed ethnic tensions and raised concern among its neighbours. She says the US is ready to help Nigeria develop a multi-faceted strategy to contain the violence, but warns that a military crackdown alone is not enough. The military says Shekau’s deputy, Momodu Bama, and his father are among the 32 insurgents killed during a 4 August insurgent attack in the northeast. 

16 August 2013: BH gunmen open fire on civilians and a police station in Konduga, killing 11 people.

19 August 2013: The Nigerian military says in a statement that BH leader Abubakar Shekau may have died from a gunshot wound after a clash with soldiers on 30 June. According to the military, Shekau may have died between 25 July and 3 August 2013, after being taken over the border into Amitchide, Cameroon. The Nigerian military establishes a 7 Division in Maiduguri, which replaces the Joint Task Force that has been fighting BH since 2010.

21 August 2013: Seven BH insurgents and two policemen are killed in shootout following an attack on a police station in the town of Gwoza, Borno State. BH gunmen kill four residents and injure eight others in an attack on Gamboru Ngala town on the border with Cameroon.

23 August 2013: Nigeria says it has deported some 22,000 improperly documented or undocumented immigrants from neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon over two months as part of a crackdown linked to its fight against the BH insurgency.

28 August 2013: A Nigerian court orders a man accused of being a member of the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), to be extradited to the US. He was allegedly sent to Nigeria to find English-speaking recruits. The suspect, identified as Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, also known as "Abdullah" or "Ayatollah Mustapha”, has been indicted on four charges in the US, including the charge of supporting a foreign terrorist group.

31 August 2013: BH gunmen kill 12 nomads who storm Boko Harma’s hideout to avenge the killing of two herders killed by the insurgents following a previous attack on Yaguwa Village in Damboa District of Borno State. BH gunmen disguised as soldiers shoot dead 24 vigilantes, who were combing Monguno Forest in Borno State in search of the insurgents.

5 September 2013: BH gunmen dressed as traders open fire on a market in the town of Gajiran, 85km from Maiduguri, killing 15 people.

6 September 2013: Nigeria's military says it had killed 50 BH insurgents in northeastern Borno State in an air-and-ground assault launched in response to the BH attack on a local market. 

7 September 2013: BH gunmen kill five residents on their way to mosque in Bulabulin Ngaura Village, 35km from Maiduguri. 

8 September 2013: Seventeen vigilantes, dubbed “Civilian JTF”, are killed and 18 injured in a fight with BH gunmen attacking Benisheik town, 72km from Maiduguri. Five BH gunmen are also killed in the fight.

10 September 2013: Nigerian troops kill 10 BH gunmen after launching an air strike in the Konduga area of Borno State in which two BH camps are destroyed. 

11 September 2013: Gunmen with explosives and rocket-propelled grenades attack a police station in Ga’anda Village in northeast Adamawa State, killing two officers and injuring another. The police station is burned in the attack. 

14 September 2013: Vigilantes from the town of Biu in Borno State kill four BH members who fled to Michika in neighbouring Adamawa State during a raid. Seven other sect members are arrested in the raid. A policeman shoots dead a vigilante following an argument over a traffic infraction, leading to street protest by vigilantes.

15 September 2013: Suspected BH gunmen attack a meeting of a local vigilante group in the town of Gamboru Ngala, in Borno State, on the border with Cameroon. They kill 17 people, including the vigilante leader and a local chief supporting them.

17 September 2013: BH gunmen kill 142 people and burn dozens of homes in coordinated attacks on the town of Benisheikh in Borno State. BH gunmen dressed in military uniform use assault rifles, rocket launchers and anti-aircraft weapons in the attacks.

18 September 2013: Some 150 BH insurgents are killed in coordinated raids on BH camps in Kafiya Forest in Borno State. The dead include Abba Goroma, a wanted BH commander with a 10 million naira bounty on his head. Sixteen soldiers are killed in the fight, with nine others missing.

19 September 2013: Security operatives shoot dead eight squatters in an incomplete building during a raid to apprehend suspected BH members, near a residence for lawmakers in Abuja. The security agents claim they came under gunfire from the squatters, a claim the squatters – who are mostly artisans and labourers – refute. Gunmen kill eight people, including three police escorts, and rob a bullion van filled with cash near the town of Damboa.

20 September 2013: BH gunmen attack Bulabulin Ngaura Village, outside Maiduguri, killing 14 residents.

24 September 2013: Nigeria's human rights commission says it is investigating allegations that security agents shot dead eight unarmed squatters in the capital Abuja under the guise of fighting BH insurgents.

25 September 2013: Gunmen kill a priest and two children in an attack on a church in Dorawa Village, in northeastern Yobe State, burning the church and two nearby houses. BH's leader, Abubakar Shekau, appears in new video claiming responsibility for several attacks and mocking the 19 August 2013 military claim that he may have been killed. The Nigerian army says it is trying to verify the authenticity of the video.

27 September 2013: BH splinter group Ansaru releases an online video of a French national kidnapped on 19 December 2012 in northern Nigeria’s Katsina State. The video shows 63-year-old engineer Francis Collomp calling for negotiations for his safe release.

28 September 2013: BH gunmen open fire in a dormitory at the College of Agriculture, in the town of Gujba in Yobe State, while students are asleep. Forty students are killed.

3 October 2013: Military sources in Niger say "armed bandits" killed a Niger soldier and seriously wounded three others in northeast Nigeria on 2 October. The soldiers were part of a three-nation West African force combating trans-border crime, including BH violence.

4 October 2013: Amnesty International says in a report that school attacks in northeast Nigeria have forced thousands to abandon their educations. The lives of at least 70 teachers and scores of pupils have been claimed in these attacks.

7 October 2013: The military says it has killed 30 BH insurgents and recovers a huge arms cache in air-and-ground raids on BH camps in Damboa District, Borno State.

9 October 2013: Troops destroy a BH hideout used for making improvised explosives. They recover explosives, including a suicide pack intended for attacks in the northern city of Kano during the Muslim Eid celebration. One suspected BH member is killed in the raid.

15 October 2013: Nigeria's military says it repelled three coordinated attacks by BH gunmen in the towns of Bama, Gwoza and Pulka on 12 October, killing 40 insurgents. Amnesty International issues a report saying 950 people suspected of having links to BH have died in custody in the past six months, claiming prisoners have been suffocated, starved and subjected to extra-judicial killings in the army-led operation in the country's northeast.

21 October 2013: The Nigerian military says it has commenced a massive recruitment to tackle the country’s security challenges.

22 October 2013: Nigeria's military says it killed 37 suspected BH fighters during an air-and-ground assault on an insurgent camp in the northern Borno State.

24 October 2013: BH gunmen in military uniform launch coordinated attacks on a military barracks and four police facilities in Yobe State capital Damaturu. Scores are killed, including 35 men in army uniform. It is not clear if the 35 are BH gunmen or Nigerian soldiers.

26 October 2013: The Nigerian military says it killed 95 BH insurgents in two days of air-and-ground raids on BH camps in northern Borno State.

29 October 2013: The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urges Cameroonian authorities not to expel Nigerians who fled to Cameroon to escape fighting between BH and Nigerian soldiers.

31 October 2013: BH gunmen kill 13 passengers in an ambush on a commercial bus in Bama District.

3 November 2013: A BH attack on a wedding convoy kills more than 30 people, including the groom, along Bama-Banki highway, while the convoy is returning from Michika in neighbouring Adamawa State. In a video, BH leader Abubakar Shekau claims responsibility for the 24 October attack on a military base and police facilities in Damaturu.

4 November 2013: Dozens of BH gunmen on motorcycles and in pickups kill 27 people and burn down 300 homes in a raid on Bama, a town in northeast Borno State. Twelve people are injured in the raid, according to a local official.

5 November 2013: The Nigerian army says it killed seven BH insurgents and injured several others in raids on BH camps in Bama District, Borno State. Nigeria’s presidential dialogue and reconciliation committee on BH submits its report, with the committee’s head saying BH wants dialogue. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Cécile Pouilly says BH could be guilty of crimes against humanity. 

6 November 2013: The president seeks lawmakers’ approval of a six-month extension of the state of emergency in three northeastern states.

7 November 2013: The Nigerian senate approves the president’s request for a six-month extension of emergency rule in three northeastern states.

9 November 2013: Five BH insurgents and two soldiers are killed in shootouts during raids on two BH hideouts in Kano, following Intel reports that gunmen were planning suicide attacks in Kano and Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

13 November 2013: The US designates BH and Ansaru as terror groups. The UN releases a report saying 37,000 people, including 29,000 Niger nationals, have fled northeast Nigeria into neighbouring Niger since the military began its sweeping offensive against BH on 15 May. Gunmen riding on motorcycles kidnap a French Catholic priest from his parish in the Cameroonian village of Nguetchewe, 10km from the Nigerian border. The 15 gunmen cross into Nigeria, and Cameroon authorities blame BH.

15 November 2013: Nigerian troops kill nine BH members in a gunfight in the Damboa area of Borno State, near the border with Cameroon; a soldier is injured in the incident. Soldiers destroy two BH vans and recover ammunitions in the attack. A BH source confirms the group is behind the kidnap of a French priest in Cameroon, near the border with Nigeria. A Nigerian federal high court sentences BH member Umaru Mustapha to life for the bombing of a complex housing several newspaper offices in Kaduna, killing four people. 

16 November 2013: Collomp escapes from his Ansaru captors in the northern Nigerian city of Zaria. Collomp, a 63-year-old wind-energy engineer, was kidnapped on 19 December 2012 in northern Nigeria’s Katsina State. The Nigerian military says it has killed 20 BH gunmen in a raid on a BH camp in Bita Village, Borno State, which the insurgents were using to launch deadly attacks on nearby villages. Scores of BH vehicles and motorcycles were destroyed in the raid. Nigeria's military says it is ready for air strikes against BH Islamists as several thousand troops move to the remote northeast to retake territory seized by the insurgents.

18 November 2013: French hostage Francis Collomp arrives in Paris after escaping his Ansaru captors.

19 November 2013: Troops kill two BH gunmen and recover arms during a raid on a hideout in the Gayawa area of Kano. The raid follows the earlier arrest of two armed BH members at a checkpoint in neighbouring Katsina State. Maiduguri residents nab a teenager spying for BH in the city. The Nigeria Defence Acadamy says it is modifying its training in response to Nigeria’s security challenges, especially BH militancy. Gunmen kill a police officer and injure another in an attack on a police station in Kwami District of Gombe State.

20 November 2013: The Nigerian lower parliament approves a six-month extension of the state of emergency in three northeastern states. Nigeria’s secret police arrest an alleged BH spiritual leader for Kogi State, Mohammed Nazeef Yusuf, along with four accomplices. Yusuf denies the allegation and accuses the police of setting him up. The Borno State government urges the federal government to tighten security along the country’s northern borders to curb the BH insurgency. 

21 November 2013: Suspected BH gunmen kill three vigilantes in the Kasuwar Gwari area of Yola for their collaboration with troops. Gunmen kill four policemen in an ambush on a police patrol vehicle in the Bauchi State capital, Bauchi. Wahabi Islamic group Izala calls for the release of Mohammed Nazeef Yunus, a lecturer of Islamic studies arrested for being an alleged BH spiritual leader in central Kogi State. Izala insists he was framed.

23 November 2013: BH gunmen kill 12 residents, burn several homes and steal vehicles in an attack on Sandiya Village, 85km outside Maiduguri. It is a response to the villagers’ alleged collaboration with troops.

25 November 2013: The Nigerian military says it will continue to dislodge BH elements who fled from the country’s northeast to the southwest following a sweeping military offensive.

28 November 2013: BH insurgents kill 17 residents of Sabon Gari Village, in Damboa District, 90km from Maiduguri, during a raid in which over 100 shops and several vehicles are burned. 

29 November 2013: Human Rights Watch calls for BH to stop targeting ordinary Nigerians, claiming the group has abducted scores of women and girls and used children as young as 12 in fighting.

30 November 2013: The Nigerian military pledges to secure communities near the country’s northern and eastern borders with Chad, Niger and Cameroon over Christmas and New Year due to fears of BH strikes. BH gunmen kill seven fishermen in an ambush the town of Baga – reprisals over the arrests of sect members the previous day. Local boats and fishing nets are burned in the attack. Troops kill BH members and arrest five others in an ambush at Gidan Maiwa Village in Ningi, a local government area of Bauchi State. Eleven Kalashnikovs, rocket launchers, grenades and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition are recovered from the insurgents.

2 December 2013: Around 200 BH gunmen dressed as soldiers launch coordinated attacks on an air force base, a military barracks and a nearby checkpoint in Maiduguri. They burn buildings and five aircraft, and kill dozens of soldiers and civilians. The attacks prompt a round-the-clock curfew in the city and the suspension of flights.

3 December 2013: A round-the-clock curfew in Maiduguri is relaxed by 13 hours, and phone services are restored in the metropolis. A Lagos Federal High Court orders the trial of 17 suspected BH members charged with terrorism to be held in private following an application by the prosecution. 

4 December 2013: The Nigerian army admits holding 1,400 suspected BH members for months without trial. It recommends trial for 500 of the suspects, release of 167 and reviews of the cases of 614. Nigeria warns the US against using its terror designation for BH and splinter rebel group Ansaru against Nigerians traveling to the US for legitimate purposes.

5 December 2013: Governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, makes a financial donation to the families of 20 fishermen killed by BH in Kukawa District, on the border with Chad.

6 December 2013: An Abuja Federal High Court orders Nigeria’s inspector general of police to produce three policemen being detained over alleged BH membership. 

9 December 2013: The Nigerian Human Rights Commission summons security chiefs over the 19 September killings of eight squatters in a raid on an incomplete building in the Apo area of Abuja. President Goodluck Jonathan lends support to the creation of an African rapid reaction force, which could help tackle the BH insurgency.

14 January 2014: At least 31 people killed, over 50 people injured by suicide bombing in Maiduguri, Borno State

16 February 2014: Izghe massacre: 106 villagers are killed

25 February 2014: Federal Government College attack: Fury at military over Yobe deaths. At least 29 teenage boys dead at Federal Government College Buni Yadi.[148]

14 April 2014: Government properties, including the only girls' secondary school, attacked. At least 16 killed or missing, and 234 female students kidnapped. The Boko Harām militants said it would treat them as slaves as part of the "war booty"

14 April 2014: April 2014 Abuja bombing: Two bombs explode at a crowded bus station in Abuja, Nigeria, killing at least 90 people and injuring more than 200.

1 May 2014: A car bomb exploded killing at least 19 people and injured at least 60 in the same area of Abuja as the April bomb

5 May 2014: Boko Haram attacked the twin towns of Gamboru and Ngala in Borno State, Nigeria. They started shooting in a busy marketplace, set houses on fire, and gunned down anyone who tried to flee. The death toll of the massacre has been set as high as 336.

13 May 2014: Menari, Tsangayari and Garawa: Boko Haram attacked three villages, killing around 60 people in Menari. Vigilantes fought back, killing over 200 Boko Haram fighters

17 May 2014: A summit in Paris has declared Boko Haram is part of al-Qaeda as leaders from West African nations resolved to mount a region-wide offensive against the group that is holding more than 200 schoolgirls hostage in a dense jungle.Western nations have pledged to provide technical expertise and training to the new regional African effort against the Islamic extremists.

18 May 2014: Kano: Suicide car bomb kills five people.

20 May 2014: Jos: Twin bomb explosions kill 118 people.

30 May 2014: Assassination of Muslim leader Alhaji Idrissa Timta the Emir of Gwoza in Borno state.
1 June 2014: Mudi bombing: An attack at a football field in Mudi, Adamawa state kills at least 40 people.

Sources: IRIN
Wikipedia