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Nigeria: At least 23 killed in Maiduguri 'suicide' attacks

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Nigeria: At least 23 killed in Maiduguri 'suicide' attacks
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Why it matters

At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.

Key takeaways

  • Daso said 23 people had been killed, while 108 others "sustained varying degrees of injuries."
  • More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria's restive Borno state.
  • State police said that one of the blasts hit the busy Maiduguri Monday market, another hit the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) gate, while a third struck near the post office.

At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.

More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria's restive Borno state.

No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.

The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.

What have police said about the blasts in Borno?

TL;DR: State police said that one of the blasts hit the busy Maiduguri Monday market, another hit the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) gate, while a third struck near the post office.

State police said that one of the blasts hit the busy Maiduguri Monday market, another hit the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) gate, while a third struck near the post office.

"Preliminary investigation reveals that the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers," state police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement.

Daso said 23 people had been killed, while 108 others "sustained varying degrees of injuries."

According to the spokesman, security forces were deployed to the affected areas, which have been cordoned off and searched to rule out any additional threats. "Normalcy has been fully restored," Daso added.

Jihadist insurgency in Borno state

TL;DR: Maiduguri is the capital of the northeastern Borno state, where Islamist groups like Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been active for nearly two decades.

Maiduguri is the capital of the northeastern Borno state, where Islamist groups like Boko Haram and its offshoot Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been active for nearly two decades.

Their campaign to establish a caliphate in the country has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across the country's northeast.

Until a few months ago, the city of Maiduguri had seen no major attack since 2021. But signs of the conflict remain in the city, with frequent checkpoints and military patrols.

What's driving young Nigerians into the arms of extremists?

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Published: Mar 17, 2026

Read time: 2 min

Category: World