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ConflictsNigeria

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

Kieran Burke with AFP, Reuters
March 17, 2026

The series of suicide bombings in Borno state came after an attack on a military post on Sunday night.

A soldier inspects the aftermath of Monday's bomb blast at a market in Maiduguri
One of the blasts hit a large market area in Maiduguri city in the north eastImage: Jossy Ola/AP Photo/picture alliance

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.

Maiduguri had not seen such violence in yearsImage: AFP

What have police said about the blasts in Borno?

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

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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Edited by: Karl Sexton

Kieran Burke News writer and editor focused on international relations, global security and law enforcement.
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