Police authorities in Maiduguri, Borno State, have confirmed that 23 people were killed and 108 others injured following multiple bomb explosions in the city on Monday night.
The spokesman of the Borno State Police Command, Nahum Kenneth-Daso, disclosed the figures in a statement on Tuesday, noting that calm has since returned to the state capital.
According to him, the explosions occurred at about 7:24 p.m. on March 16 at three different locations: the Monday Market, the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and the Post Office Flyover area.
“Preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers. Regrettably, a total of twenty-three (23) persons lost their lives, while one hundred and eight (108) others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” the statement said.
Following the explosions, a joint team of police tactical units, the military and other security agencies was deployed to the affected locations.
The areas were immediately secured and cordoned off while the Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit conducted thorough sweeps to ensure no additional explosive devices remained.
The Naziru Abdulmajid, Commissioner of Police in the state, also visited the blast sites to assess the situation and oversee response efforts.
Victims were evacuated by emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency and the Borno State Emergency Management Agency, to hospitals where they are receiving treatment.
Security presence has since been intensified across Maiduguri and surrounding areas to prevent further attacks.
The incident has disrupted a period of relative calm in the city, which had experienced fewer attacks in recent years as insurgent activity was largely pushed to rural areas.
Militant groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have recently escalated attacks in northeastern Nigeria.
Their insurgency, which began about 16 years ago, has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced roughly two million residents across the region.
Reacting to the attack, Babagana Zulum condemned the bombings as “barbaric,” attributing the recent spike in violence to intensified military operations against insurgents in Sambisa Forest.
Although Maiduguri had enjoyed a relatively peaceful period in recent years, sporadic attacks have continued in surrounding rural communities.
In 2021, militants fired mortars into the city, killing at least 10 people, while another suspected suicide bombing at a mosque in December left at least seven dead.
Last month, the United States Africa Command also announced the deployment of about 200 troops to Nigeria to provide training and technical support to security forces battling insurgent groups in the region.
