Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Henry Owen
Yesterday marks eleven years since the horrific attack on the Kano Grand Central Mosque on Friday, 28 November 2014—an event remembered as one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in Nigeria’s history. On that tragic afternoon, Boko Haram carried out a coordinated assault that left at least 130 worshippers dead and more than 135 injured, according to contemporaneous reporting by BBC News and Reuters.
The attackers struck moments after Jumu’ah prayers had begun. Witness accounts documented by Human Rights Watch and the Associated Press recount how three powerful explosions tore through the crowd, sending worshippers into a state of panic. As people struggled to escape, armed men positioned outside the mosque opened fire, deliberately targeting those fleeing the blasts. Inside the mosque, bullet marks scarred the pillars and walls, while blood from victims and suicide bombers stained the building’s interior, reaching up toward the dome. One witness described seeing a bomber drive a vehicle directly into a cluster of worshippers before detonating his explosives—an act of brutality confirmed by emergency responders interviewed at the time.
The attack came at a period when Boko Haram was escalating its campaign of violence across northern Nigeria. Amnesty International’s 2015 global human rights review detailed how the group expanded its attacks on churches, mosques, schools, markets, and government buildings. Women and girls were being abducted, raped, and held in sexual slavery, while communities across Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Kano, and neighbouring states lived under constant threat. Analysts noted, including those cited by the International Crisis Group, that the Kano mosque may have been deliberately targeted following a public sermon by then Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who had called on citizens to resist Boko Haram’s advances.
In the aftermath of the attack, the federal government condemned the killings, and security forces increased operations across the region. Yet many survivors later told humanitarian workers and journalists that justice remained elusive, with investigations slow and compensation limited. Reports from the Nigerian Red Cross indicated that several survivors suffered life-long disabilities from shrapnel, burns, and gunshot wounds.
Eleven years later, the scars of that day remain deeply felt. Although Nigeria has intensified military operations against insurgent groups, Boko Haram and its splinter factions such as ISWAP continue to mount deadly attacks in parts of the Northeast and Northwest. Amnesty International’s 2023–2024 review highlights ongoing abductions, forced marriages, sexual slavery, and targeted killings—evidence that the threat has evolved rather than disappeared.
Human Right advocates continue to urge the Nigerian authorities to strengthen security systems, improve intelligence gathering, and ensure that perpetrators of past and present atrocities are brought to justice. They also emphasize the need for sustained support for survivors and communities still grappling with trauma and loss.
As the nation reflects on the eleventh anniversary of the Kano Grand Mosque bombing, it serves as a painful reminder of the human cost of violent extremism. The memories of the victims endure—calling on Nigeria to remain vigilant, pursue justice, and protect every community from the kind of horror that unfolded on that dark Friday.
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