At least 23 people have been killed and 108 injured in a series of suspected suicide bombings in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state, police say. A post office, a popular weekly market, and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital were hit within minutes of each other at around 19:30 local time (18:30 GMT) on Monday. The sites, which are among the city's busiest locations, had drawn large crowds after the day's Ramadan fast was broken.
These explosions represent one of the deadliest attacks Maiduguri had witnessed in years. The city, once the epicenter of an insurgency by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, had been enjoying a relatively stable period after intensified military operations pushed armed groups into remote border areas.
Borno police reported that preliminary investigations revealed the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers, with an investigation ongoing to identify the attackers. Witnesses described moments of chaos as the explosions occurred. Modu Bukar, a local resident, recounted hearing a loud blast and the immediate panic that followed as people ran in fear.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack, asserting, Nigeria will not succumb to fear, vowing to pursue the perpetrators relentlessly. This strike has shaken the confidence of Maiduguri's residents, who had cautiously begun to believe that the worst years of Boko Haram's insurgency were over. With officials warning of a continued threat of violence, emergency and security forces are reinforcing safety across the city.
These explosions represent one of the deadliest attacks Maiduguri had witnessed in years. The city, once the epicenter of an insurgency by the militant Islamist group Boko Haram, had been enjoying a relatively stable period after intensified military operations pushed armed groups into remote border areas.
Borno police reported that preliminary investigations revealed the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers, with an investigation ongoing to identify the attackers. Witnesses described moments of chaos as the explosions occurred. Modu Bukar, a local resident, recounted hearing a loud blast and the immediate panic that followed as people ran in fear.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu condemned the attack, asserting, Nigeria will not succumb to fear, vowing to pursue the perpetrators relentlessly. This strike has shaken the confidence of Maiduguri's residents, who had cautiously begun to believe that the worst years of Boko Haram's insurgency were over. With officials warning of a continued threat of violence, emergency and security forces are reinforcing safety across the city.
