Multiple blasts kill 23 people in Nigeria

The Nigerian Police has confirmed that at least 23 people have been killed after blasts hit Nigeria’s Maiduguri and preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers.

This comes after multiple blasts struck Nigeria’s Northeastern City of Maiduguri, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 others, who had deployed explosives’ clearance teams to three locations following several suspected suicide bomb events.

The updated toll was given today after blasts occurred yesterday at the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and two local markets, known as Post Office and weekly Market.

According to Sirajo Abdullahi, the head of operations at Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency in Maiduguri preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers.

So far no group has yet claimed responsibility for the suspected bombings and the attacks in Maiduguri, come as Nigeria battles a complex security crisis involving different armed groups in the north of the country.

Boko Haram and the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province group have carried out several attacks against army bases across Borno ‌this month, ‌killing a number of troops and seizing weapons and the Nigerian military said in ⁠a statement earlier that it had repelled attacks by suspected fighters in the early hours ⁠of yesterday on the outskirts of Maiduguri.

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum condemned the apparent bombings and said that the recent surge in attacks is not unconnected with intense military operations in the Sambisa forest, a known stronghold of armed groups.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and those injured as a result of the blast. The act is utterly condemnable, barbaric and inhumane,” Zulum said.

Borno State’s police spokesperson, Nahum Daso Kenneth, said security operatives and emergency responders ⁠were deployed following reports of the blasts and residents are ⁠advised to remain calm and avoid the area while assessments continue.

Bagoni Alkali, who witnessed one of the blasts, told journalists that he brought wounded people to the hospital for emergency treatment and described the attack as the deadliest in Maiduguri in recent years.

“Right now, over 200 people have been injured and are receiving care in the accident and emergency department. While I could tell you so many people have died, to be honest, many lost their lives at the scene immediately after the bomb exploded. It’s disheartening,” Alkali said.

Mohammed Hassan, a member of a volunteer group that often assists security forces in the conflict, said he evacuated 10 bodies from the markets.

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 fighters fired mortars at the city, killing 10 people while in December 2025, an unclaimed bombing killed at least seven people in a city mosque and since then violence has continued.

Last week, the Nigeria 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 armed groups and the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said 200 soldiers were expected to join the deployment overall and there after it conducted air attacks on the northern state of Sokoto, in coordination with Nigerian authorities.

Nigeria expanded security cooperation with Washington after US President Donald Trump accused ‌the country last year of failing to protect Christians, the authorities, however, denied that there is systematic persecution of Christians, while independent experts say Nigeria’s security crises affect both Christians and Muslims.

Additional Reporting from Associated Press.