MAIDUGURI: At least 23 people have been killed and more than 100 injured after multiple explosions struck Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri, authorities said, in one of the deadliest attacks in recent years.
Police said suspected suicide bombers carried out coordinated attacks on Monday at the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and at two busy markets, known as Post Office and Monday Market.
The casualty figures were confirmed on Tuesday by emergency officials and police, who have deployed explosive ordnance teams to secure affected areas.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers,” police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said.
He added that 23 people were killed while 108 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The violence comes as Nigeria faces a complex security crisis in its northern regions, where armed groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have intensified attacks.
Recent assaults on military bases in Borno State have killed several soldiers and resulted in the seizure of weapons, highlighting the resilience of insurgent groups despite ongoing military operations.
The Nigerian military said it repelled attempted attacks on the outskirts of Maiduguri earlier on Monday.
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Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum condemned the attacks, linking the recent surge in violence to intensified military operations in the Sambisa forest, a known militant stronghold.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims. The act is utterly condemnable, barbaric and inhumane,” he said.
Emergency responders said hospitals were overwhelmed as casualties were rushed in for treatment.
Witnesses described scenes of chaos. Bagoni Alkali said he helped transport injured victims to hospital, where more than 200 people were receiving treatment.
“Many died instantly at the scene. It is disheartening,” he said.
Another volunteer, Mohammed Hassan, said he evacuated several bodies from the markets and warned of a shortage of blood supplies.
“This is one of the deadliest attacks in Maiduguri in years,” he said.
Although the city has seen relative calm compared with the peak of violence in the mid-2010s, attacks have continued in surrounding rural areas.
Security forces remain on high alert as investigations continue.
