At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 others wounded following a series of coordinated suicide bombings that struck the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Monday night. The attacks targeted high-traffic civilian locations, including a major market and a teaching hospital, marking one of the deadliest security breaches in the Borno State capital in recent years.
Borno State Police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso confirmed the casualty figures in a statement released Tuesday morning. According to the command, the explosions occurred almost simultaneously around 7:20 PM local time at the Maiduguri Monday Market, the Post Office flyover area, and the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
The blasts shattered a period of relative calm in the city, which has served as the epicenter of a 17-year insurgency by extremist groups. While no group has officially claimed responsibility for the coordinated strikes, the Borno Police Command attributed the carnage to suspected suicide bombers, a tactic frequently employed by Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Sirajo Abdullahi, head of operations for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) in Maiduguri, stated that emergency responders were deployed immediately to evacuate the dead and injured. He noted that the timing of the explosions was intended to maximise casualties, as the targeted markets were crowded with evening traders and commuters.
Eyewitnesses described a scene of overwhelming chaos at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital as hundreds sought emergency care. Bagoni Alkali, a resident who assisted in transporting victims, reported that the hospital’s accident and emergency department was stretched beyond capacity.
Medical officials at the facility confirmed that over 200 people were initially brought in for treatment, many with life-threatening injuries. Mohammed Hassan, a member of a local volunteer security group, assisted in the recovery of bodies and issued an urgent plea for blood donations, describing the aftermath at the Monday Market as particularly devastating.
Governor Babagana Umara Zulum condemned the attacks in a formal statement on Monday night, describing the events as "utterly condemnable, barbaric, and inhumane." The Governor urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious movements while assuring the public that security agencies were working to restore full order.
The bombings followed an earlier report by the Nigerian military, which stated that troops had repelled an insurgent assault on the outskirts of Maiduguri just hours before the blasts.
By Tuesday morning, the Borno State Police Command announced that normalcy had been restored, though a heavy security presence remained at the blast sites. Security forces have cordoned off the affected areas for forensic investigation and have increased patrols across the city’s major thoroughfares to prevent secondary attacks.