Attack Overview
At least 23 people were killed and 108 others wounded in a series of coordinated explosions in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's Borno State, according to police statements on Tuesday. The blasts occurred on Monday evening at three distinct locations: the city's main Monday market, the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), and an area around the city's Post Office flyover.
State police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso confirmed in a statement that "preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers." While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the attacks, Nigerian military spokesman Sani Uba specifically attributed them to "Boko Haram terrorist suicide bombers who detonated improvised explosive devices," a designation that exceeds the police's initial cautious attribution.
Casualty Reports and Disputed Figures
Official reports from Borno State police confirm 23 fatalities and 108 people sustaining injuries of varying degrees. However, an anti-jihadist militia member, speaking to AFP, suggested the death toll could rise as high as 31—a claim that remains unverified by official sources. A doctor at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital described the scene as "chaotic" due to the influx of wounded, though medical staff eventually brought the situation under control.
Witness Mala Mohammed, who escaped the market blast, told reporters he heard two initial explosions, causing panic among crowds who then ran toward the Post Office area where another bomber detonated their device.
Context: Resurgence of Violence
The attacks represent a major escalation in Maiduguri, which had experienced no major attacks since 2021 until recent months. The Monday evening bombings followed an assault on a military post in the Ajilari Cross district—a southwestern suburb near the city's airport—overnight Sunday to Monday. This earlier attack, along with a December mosque bombing, has effectively ended a period of relative calm that persisted as Nigeria's long-running insurgency was pushed toward rural hinterlands.
The violence occurs within the framework of a 16-year campaign by jihadist groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) to establish a caliphate in Nigeria. According to verified figures cited by multiple sources, this conflict has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced approximately two million across the country's northeast. Deutsche Welle's reporting notably omitted these specific historical casualty figures, while RFI and Dawn included them.
Official Response
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum condemned the bombings as "barbaric," linking the recent surge in violence to "intense military operations in the Sambisa forest." Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered security chiefs to Maiduguri on Tuesday, describing the attacks as "the final desperate and frantic attempts by criminals and terrorist elements trying to instil and spread fear."
Police spokesman Daso stated that security forces have increased presence and surveillance in the affected areas, which have been cordoned off and searched. He added that "normalcy has been fully restored" in the city.
Security Situation
The triple bombing coincided with an attack in the Damboa local government area south of Maiduguri on the same Sunday-Monday overnight period, further demonstrating the coordinated nature of the recent violence. Security officials have deployed additional forces to strategic locations throughout the city to prevent further incidents.