•People carry an injured man past corpses covered with sheets
Police authorities in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, have confirmed that a total of 23 persons were killed while 108 others sustained injuries after three bomb blasts were detonated last night.
The spokesman of the Command, Nahum Kenneth-Daso, who disclosed this in a press statement today, however, said normalcy has returned to the state capital.
“Following the devastating suspected suicide IED explosions that occurred at about 1924HRS on 16th March, 2026, at (1) Maiduguri Monday Market, (2) University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) gate, and (3) Post Office Flyover area, Maiduguri,” Kenneth-Daso said.
“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.”
He further explained that, following the incidents, a combined team of police tactical units, the military, and other joint security operatives were swiftly deployed to the affected areas, reports Channels TV.
The scenes were then immediately secured, cordoned off, and thoroughly swept by the Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit, Base 13, Maiduguri, to rule out any additional threats.
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid, visited the affected locations to conduct an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and to evaluate ongoing response efforts. He commiserated with victims and their families, while assuring the public of the Command’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives and property.
“Victims were promptly evacuated by emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), to medical facilities where they are currently receiving treatment,” the Command’s spokesman added.
Meanwhile, joint security operatives have increased their presence and surveillance across Maiduguri and its environs to prevent further incidents.
The renewed assaults have wrecked a year-long peaceful stretch in the city, which had become a relative oasis of calm as Nigeria’s long-running insurgency was pushed to the rural hinterlands.
Fighters from Boko Haram and rival jihadist group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have recently stepped up attacks in northeastern Nigeria.
Their 16-year campaign to establish a caliphate in the country has killed more than 40,000 people and displaced around two million.
Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum called the apparent bombings “barbaric” and said “the recent surge in attacks is not unconnected with intense military operations in the Sambisa forest,” a known jihadist stronghold.
Fragile Calm Ruptured
Maiduguri, once the scene of daily shootings and bombings, had been relatively calm in recent years, with attacks peaking in the mid-2010s.
The last major attack dates back to 2021, when Boko Haram jihadists fired mortars at the city, killing 10 people.
But in December, an unclaimed bombing — again a suspected suicide attacker — killed at least seven people in a city mosque.
And in the countryside surrounding Maiduguri, violence has continued.
Last week, the army confirmed “coordinated attacks” on several military bases in the northeast, which killed at least 14 people, including 10 soldiers, according to local civilian and military sources.
Last month, the United States began deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to the country’s soldiers in fighting jihadist groups.
The US Africa Command said 200 troops were expected to join the deployment overall.
The deployment came after US President Donald Trump said the violence in Nigeria amounted to the “persecution” of Christians — a framing long used by the US religious and political right wing.
The federal government and many independent experts say Christians and Muslims alike are the victims of the country’s violence.
