President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered Nigeria’s top security chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri, Borno State, after coordinated suicide bombings killed at least 23 people and injured over 100 on Monday evening.
The blasts occurred simultaneously at a crowded market, a hospital entrance, and a post office as residents were breaking their Ramadan fast. Borno police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso confirmed the casualties on Tuesday, noting that 108 individuals sustained varying degrees of injuries. While no group has claimed responsibility, security officials have pointed toward remnants of the Boko Haram extremist group.
In an official statement released Tuesday, President Tinubu described the violence as a "profoundly upsetting" development. He characterised the strikes as desperate maneuvers by criminal elements currently reeling from sustained pressure by the Nigerian Armed Forces.
"I want to make it categorically clear that these acts of terror are the final desperate and frantic attempts by criminals and terrorist elements trying to instill and spread fear," Tinubu stated. He further directed emergency agencies to ensure the injured receive immediate care and vowed that there is no safe haven for terrorists in Nigeria.
The President also commended the "courage and fighting spirit" of troops who had repelled separate coordinated assaults on military positions in the state earlier that weekend. He noted that the federal government is already in the process of deploying additional equipment and operational support to enhance the capabilities of intelligence and security agencies.
The escalation in Maiduguri marks a significant security challenge for the administration, particularly as the city had experienced a relative lull in insurgent activity over the past year.