TheCable

It’s official: Boko Haram’s favourite day for terrorist attacks is Sunday.

Five attacks by the group so far this year have been carried out on Sundays ─ and we are still in June.

However, don’t bet on it ─ the group could be deadly on other days of the week as well.

The first Sunday bomb attack carried out by the group this year was on May 18, at a street of bars and restaurant at Sabon Gari, Kano State.

The attack by a suicide bomber spun five casualties, and destroyed valuable property.

Following the attack in the nation’s second most populous city, there was red alert and the police, the next day, recovered a car laden with explosives.

The second Sunday bomb attack was on 1 June at a recreational area at Kabang in Mubi, Adamawa State. The attack which was carried out through a car wired with explosives left 18 persons dead and 19 wounded.

Beside these bomb attacks, there have also been gun attacks. The first non-bomb attack on Sunday, 16 February, was at Izge Rana, Borno State. The attack left 90 persons dead.

The second gun attack was on Sunday, 25 May, in Yobe, which resulted in 30 deaths.

The choice of Sunday could be because security is usually relaxed or because social activities are on the high side at the weekend. It could also be a statement of defiance against the Christian “holy day”.

The Sunday bomb attacks trail other vicious attacks by the group on weekdays.

The April 14 Nyanya bus station bomb attack, which resulted in the death of 75 people, was to extract high casualties. This explains the day and time of the attack – Monday, 6:50am (at rush hour).

The second Nyanya bomb blast on the evening of Thursday, May 1, which left 19 dead, was probably to expose weak security as the attack was near the site of the previous one and on a public holiday.

The Jos twin bomb blasts on Tuesday, May 20, which resulted in the death of 118 people, was obviously to extract high casualties ─ it was a market place.

In previous years, Sunday church services were targeted ─ in Madalla, Kano, Kaduna, Jos and Suleja.

Going by the patterns of Boko Haram’s attacks, more attacks may be launched on Sundays. That is a free tip for the security agencies.