Suspected Suicide Bombings Kill at Least 23 in Maiduguri as Insurgent Violence Returns to Nigerian City

The explosions tore through Maiduguri on Monday evening just as residents were breaking their Ramadan fast, striking three of the city's busiest locations within minutes of each other and leaving behind scenes of devastation that residents described as unlike anything the city had experienced in years.

At least 23 people were killed and 108 others sustained injuries of varying severity in what police have identified as suspected suicide bombings . The blasts targeted a popular weekly market, the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and a post office in the city centre, all around 19:30 local time on Monday Police in Nigeria suspect suicide bombers in deaths of at least 23 peopleabcnews.com·UnverifiedPolice in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict-battered city in recent history.. The locations were packed with people who had gathered after breaking the day's Ramadan fast.

Borno state police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso confirmed the toll in an official statement, saying that preliminary investigations pointed to suicide bombers as the perpetrators . Security forces were deployed to the affected areas, which were cordoned off and searched for additional threats. Daso said normalcy had been restored and patrols tightened across the city Suspected suicide attacks kill at least 23 in north-east Nigeriabbc.com·SecondaryAt least 23 people have been killed and 108 injured in a series of suspected suicide bombings in Maiduguri, the capital of Nigeria's north-eastern Borno state, police say. A post office, a popular weekly market and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital were hit within minutes of each other at around 19:30 local time (18:30 GMT) on Monday. The sites, which are among the city's busiest locations, had drawn large crowds after the day's Ramadan fast was broken..

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but suspicion immediately fell on Boko Haram, the Islamist militant group that launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 to impose its radical interpretation of Shariah law . The group has since splintered into multiple factions, including the Islamic State West Africa Province, which receives backing from the broader Islamic State network Police in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 peopleapnews.com·SecondaryPolice officers are seen at the scene of a bomb blast at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola ) An ambulance is seen at the hospital following a bomb blast in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo ) MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday..

A City Shattered After Years of Calm

The scale of Monday's violence was particularly jarring because Maiduguri had experienced a period of relative stability in recent years. The city, which sits at the heart of Boko Haram's insurgency zone, had not suffered a major attack since 2021, when militants fired mortars into the city, killing 10 people Police in Nigeria suspect suicide bombers in deaths of at least 23 peopleabcnews.com·UnverifiedPolice in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict-battered city in recent history.. Military operations had pushed armed groups into remote border areas and the Sambisa forest, and residents had cautiously begun to believe the worst years of the conflict were behind them.

That fragile calm was already fraying before Monday's bombings. In December, an unclaimed bombing at a city mosque killed at least seven people. And just hours before Monday evening's triple blast, security forces repelled an overnight attack by suspected Islamist fighters on a military post in the Ajilari Cross area, a southwestern suburb of Maiduguri near the city's airport Police in Nigeria suspect suicide bombers in deaths of at least 23 peopleabcnews.com·UnverifiedPolice in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict-battered city in recent history.. There was also a separate attack in the Damboa local government area south of Maiduguri the same evening.

Last week, the Nigerian army confirmed coordinated attacks on several military bases across the northeast. Local sources reported at least 14 people killed, including 10 soldiers. The extremists have intensified their assaults on military positions in recent months, killing senior officers and soldiers and seizing weaponry and ammunition from overrun bases Police in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 peopleapnews.com·SecondaryPolice officers are seen at the scene of a bomb blast at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola ) An ambulance is seen at the hospital following a bomb blast in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo ) MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday..

Chaos at the Blast Sites

Residents described the panic that swept through Maiduguri as news of the explosions spread. Mohammed Hassan, a member of a civilian volunteer group that assists security forces in combating extremists, said the attack ranked among the deadliest the city had experienced in years . He said hospitals were overwhelmed and issued urgent appeals for blood donations in the hours after the blasts Police in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings killed at least 23 peopleapnews.com·SecondaryPolice officers are seen at the scene of a bomb blast at a market in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jossy Ola ) An ambulance is seen at the hospital following a bomb blast in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo ) MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday..

Modu Bukar, who owns a shop near one of the blast sites, described hearing a massive explosion and watching as people ran in terror, shouting at others to keep moving Police in Nigeria suspect suicide bombers in deaths of at least 23 peopleabcnews.com·UnverifiedPolice in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict-battered city in recent history.. Emergency workers and volunteers rushed to the scenes to evacuate casualties, with ambulances ferrying the wounded to hospitals that were quickly stretched beyond capacity.

The University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, itself one of the blast targets, became both a crime scene and a triage centre. An AFP reporter at a city hospital saw dozens of wounded people seeking treatment and multiple bodies covered with sheets on the sidewalk outside, illustrating the scale of the carnage.

Government Response and Security Questions

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks on Tuesday, declaring that the country would not be intimidated Police in Nigeria suspect suicide bombers in deaths of at least 23 peopleabcnews.com·UnverifiedPolice in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict-battered city in recent history.. He vowed that the perpetrators would be located, confronted, and defeated.

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum called the bombings barbaric and drew a direct connection between the surge in attacks and intensified military operations in the Sambisa forest, a known jihadist stronghold. His comments suggested that the military campaign, while disrupting militant safe havens, may have provoked retaliatory strikes against civilian targets.

The governor's aide, Dauda Iliya, called for heightened vigilance, particularly as the Muslim community in Borno prepares to celebrate the end of Ramadan later this week — a period when large public gatherings could present additional targets.

Critics of the federal government's security approach argue that the military-heavy strategy has failed to address the root causes of the insurgency, including poverty, displacement, and governance failures in the northeast. The region remains one of Nigeria's poorest, with millions of people dependent on humanitarian aid after more than a decade and a half of conflict.

The Broader Insurgency

Boko Haram's campaign has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across northeastern Nigeria since 2009 Police in Nigeria suspect suicide bombers in deaths of at least 23 peopleabcnews.com·UnverifiedPolice in Nigeria say suspected suicide bombings have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri MAIDUGURI, Nigeria -- At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in suspected suicide bombings Monday night that targeted Maiduguri city in northeastern Nigeria, police said Tuesday. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the conflict-battered city in recent history.. The group's name roughly translates to the idea that Western education is forbidden, and it has targeted schools, churches, mosques, markets, and government buildings throughout its insurgency.

The conflict has also drawn in regional and international actors. The Multinational Joint Task Force, comprising troops from Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon, has been fighting the insurgents for years with mixed results. Last month, the United States began deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to Nigerian soldiers battling the jihadist groups, with the U.S. Africa Command indicating that approximately 200 personnel were expected to participate.

What Happens Next

The return of large-scale violence to Maiduguri raises difficult questions for Nigerian authorities. The military's success in clearing militants from urban areas has been a cornerstone of the government's narrative that the insurgency is being won. Monday's attacks undermine that message and suggest that militant groups retain the capability to strike deep within territory that was supposed to be secure.

Security analysts have noted that suicide bombings require a level of organizational sophistication that indicates planning and logistical support, not the actions of a disintegrating movement. The timing of the attacks during Ramadan, when large crowds gather at predictable times and locations, also points to deliberate tactical calculation.

For the residents of Maiduguri, the immediate priority is survival. The city's hospitals remain stretched, blood supplies are critically low, and the psychological toll on a population that had begun to rebuild its sense of normalcy is immeasurable. The question now is whether Monday's bombings represent an isolated escalation or the beginning of a new phase in a conflict that has already consumed nearly two decades of life in northeastern Nigeria.