23 killed, 108 injured in Maiduguri bombings - Police

At least 23 people have been killed and 108 others injured following triple explosions in Maiduguri, the Borno State Police Command has said.

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PREMIUM TIMES reported that the explosions, which occurred on Monday evening, struck three locations—the El-Kanemi Monday Market, the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), and the Post Office area.

The spokesperson for the police command, Nahum Daso, said preliminary findings indicate that the attacks were carried out by suspected suicide bombers, an assertion corroborated by the military.

Security agencies, including police tactical units and the military, were immediately deployed to the scenes, he said, adding that the areas were cordoned off and swept by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit to rule out additional threats, while emergency responders evacuated victims to hospitals for treatment.

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Mr Daso said the Borno State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, visited the affected sites, commiserated with victims, and assured residents of the command’s commitment to safety.

According to him, normalcy has been restored, with security presence intensified across the city as investigations continue to identify those responsible.

While no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, there are suspicions that terrorists under the command of Ali Ngulde, a Boko Haram commander in Mandara mountain, Gwoza LGA, could be responsible for the attacks.

Last year, a suicide bomber believed to have been deployed by the terror commander, detonated his vest, killing five soldiers in Pulka, Gwoza.

In 2024, Mr Ngulde also sent out four female suicide bombers to various locations in Mararaban Gwoza and Pulka, killing 21 people and injuring others.

The same Boko Haram faction of Mr Ngulde was involved in an attack on Ngoshe, where many were killed and over 100 were abducted. Although the Nigerian military has recaptured the village, abducted persons including women and children remain in captivity.

The resurgence of violence in Borno and other parts of Nigeria, triggered the Defence Minister, Christopher Musa, to summon service chiefs last week.

Mr Musa, a retired army general and former chief of defence staff, told the military chiefs to step up the response against growing terror threats in the North-east. All the service chiefs later met with President Bola Tinubu.

However, the insurgents appear determined to wreak havoc, with both Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram staging attacks in the last two weeks.