Security chiefs have relocated to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to take charge of the security situation following Monday night’s coordinated suicide bombings that killed 23 people and injured 108 others.
President Bola Tinubu, who on Tuesday ordered the immediate relocation, described the attacks as “desperate and frantic attempts” by terrorist elements under constant pressure from security forces.
Three suicide bombers detonated explosives almost simultaneously around 7:02 p.m. at the Maiduguri Monday Market, the Post Office Flyover area, and the security post at the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
In a statement posted on his official X handle on Tuesday, the President mourned those who lost their lives in the attacks and commended troops for repelling coordinated assaults on military positions in the state.
“I mourn those who lost their lives, sympathise with the injured and stand in solidarity with the people of Borno during this challenging time,” Tinubu stated.
The President insisted that the attacks were final desperate acts by criminals trying to instil fear as they face mounting pressure from security agencies.
“I want to make it categorically clear that these acts of terror are the final desperate and frantic attempts by criminals and terrorist elements trying to instil and spread fear, as they are under constant pressure from our brave armed forces and security agencies operating in various theatres,” he said.
Tinubu disclosed that he has directed security chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri to take charge of the situation.
“I have directed security chiefs to move to Maiduguri to take charge of the situation. I have also directed the emergency agencies to provide proper care for the injured,” the President stated.
He revealed that during a security meeting with leaders of security and intelligence agencies last weekend, he approved additional equipment and operational support to enhance their capabilities.
“Just last weekend, during a security meeting with leaders of security and intelligence agencies, I approved additional equipment and operational support to enhance their capabilities. This effort is already in progress,” Tinubu disclosed.
The President commended the courage of troops who successfully repelled the coordinated attacks.
“I must commend the courage and fighting spirit of our patriotic troops who successfully repelled the coordinated attacks by these terrorists on military positions in the state,” he said.
Tinubu also vowed that Nigeria would continue to intensify efforts against criminal elements wherever they may be.
“There is no place in Nigeria where terrorists will find safety. We will locate them, confront them, and completely defeat them. Nigeria will not succumb to fear,” the President declared.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed the casualty figures on Tuesday, with its spokesperson, ASP Nahum Daso, stating that preliminary investigations revealed the incidents were carried out by suspected suicide bombers.
“Regrettably, a total of 23 persons lost their lives, while 108 others sustained varying degrees of injuries,” Daso said in a statement.
He added that a combined team of Police Tactical Units, the Military, and other joint security operatives was swiftly deployed to the affected areas.
“The scenes were immediately secured, cordoned off, and subjected to thorough sweep operations by Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit Base 13 Maiduguri to rule out the presence of any additional threats,” the statement read.
The state Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmaji, visited the affected locations to conduct an on-the-spot assessment and commiserated with victims and their families.
According to the Borno Police Command, victims were promptly evacuated by emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency and the State Emergency Management Agency, to medical facilities including the General Hospital, Specialist Hospital, and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, where they are currently receiving treatment.
Monday night’s attacks come amid renewed insurgent activities in Borno State, with terrorists targeting military formations and civilian areas. The incidents occurred during the holy month of Ramadan, when Monday Market, one of the busiest commercial hubs in Maiduguri, attracts large crowds breaking their fast.
The attacks came barely two weeks after fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province carried out coordinated assaults in the Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area, where they reportedly killed several soldiers, the village head, and other community elders, including a woman.
Borno State has been the epicentre of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions since 2009.
On Thursday, March 12, Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Defence, Gen Christopher Musa (retd.), National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Service Chiefs, Intelligence Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, where he approved new equipment for the armed forces to enhance counter-terrorism operations.
Defence Minister Musa had told State House correspondents after the meeting that the President approved the equipment to enable security agencies better protect Nigerians.
Missing family members
Meanwhile, The PUNCH gathered that families have begun searching for their loved ones who last reported that they were visiting one of the three locations affected by the blasts.
Confirming the development exclusively to one of our correspondents on Tuesday, the Borno State Police spokesperson said they have begun to receive reports from relatives searching for their loved ones.
According to Daso, the police has liaised with ward heads in the state to help them in obtaining reports from families seeking the whereabouts of their loved ones.
“What we are doing is that we are using Bulamas (ward heads) and other community leaders. We are in contact with them, in case there are any reports. So far, I am very sure the divisional police stations have received complaints from families,” he said.
Daso called on families with missing relatives to report to the nearest stations or their ward heads.
“We are calling on families who haven’t found their loved relatives to visit the nearest police station to make a report because some of the victims were severely injured beyond recognition,” he said.
Speaking to our correspondent in Maiduguri, two brothers, Sanni Muhammad, 35, and Bashir Muhammad, 17, have recounted how they narrowly escaped the Maiduguri bombing due to a brief traffic delay.
Narrating their ordeal in an interview on Tuesday, Sanni said the bomb exploded a few minutes before they arrived at the scene in the Monday market.
According to him, his brother, Bashir, had accompanied him to go and pick up some items at the market area.
“We left our house in Damboa road around 6:45 p.m. or thereabout to go and pick up some items including food and a cloth I purchased from a customer friend in the market.
“I had instructed him to keep it with one of my friends outside the premises of the Monday market. I had also paid for the item in the afternoon but due to engagements, I could not make it,” he said.
Sanni continued, “When we left our house on Damboa Road, there was a brief delay caused by a motorist at the traffic light after NTA. I can’t really recall because our keke was far behind. But, I think, someone’s car refused to start when the light turned green. So everyone began to complain over that brief delay, because it was still Iftar time.
“Who knows if myself and my brother would have been present at that exact scene if that had not happened? I believe we would have been there because of the speed the keke man was driving.”
He ascribed the delay to an act of God to spare their lives and sympathised with the victims, calling for increased surveillance in the town.
Multiple suicide bombers
The Nigerian Army has raised the alarm over the possible deployment of multiple suicide bombers into Maiduguri by suspected Boko Haram terrorists, urging residents to avoid crowded places.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, the Media Information Officer, Northeast Joint Taskforce Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, said the attacks targeted crowded public areas in an attempt by the terrorists to inflict mass casualties and create panic within the metropolis.
“The cowardly attacks targeted crowded public areas in an attempt by the terrorists to inflict mass casualties and create panic within the metropolis,” he said.
The statement added that troops of Operation Hadin Kai, in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team and other sister security agencies, responded swiftly to the incident and immediately secured and cordoned off the affected locations to prevent further harm.
“Preliminary information further indicates that the terrorists may have deployed multiple suicide bombers into Maiduguri with the intention of carrying out coordinated suicide bombings at crowded locations.
“Security forces have therefore intensified surveillance, patrols, and counter-IED measures across the metropolis to track down any remaining suspects and prevent further attacks,” Uba affirmed.
He noted that medical teams are currently attending to injured victims at various health facilities across the city, while emergency responders continue rescue and evacuation efforts at the affected locations.
The Army spokesperson urged members of the public to remain calm but vigilant, “avoid crowded areas where possible and promptly report any suspicious persons, unattended items or unusual activities to the nearest security agency.”
Leaders demand action
Meanwhile, the coordinated attacks have sparked widespread condemnation from political leaders, governors, and civil society groups, with many calling for urgent and decisive action to end the resurgence of terrorism in the North-East.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, on Tuesday described the attacks as unfortunate and deeply troubling.
In a statement issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi, Abbas lemented the continued spate of violence in the North-East, particularly at a time Muslims are observing the holy month of Ramadan.
He said it was unfortunate that the suspected terrorists had refused to abandon their campaign of destruction, noting that the latest incident underscored the indiscriminate nature of their violence.
The attacks, he said, “confirmed that the terrorists are not only against Islam but also humanity.”
Abbas called for renewed and coordinated efforts to confront insecurity across the country, urging security agencies to intensify operations against terrorists, bandits and other criminal elements threatening national peace.
While expressing sympathy with the victims, the Speaker condoled families who lost loved ones and prayed for the quick recovery of those injured.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, condemned the attacks, warning that the resurgence of terrorism could erode public confidence in the government and calling for an urgent review of security strategies.
Atiku, in a statement on Tuesday, said, “I am very sad at the latest terrorist attacks in Borno State and the resurfacing of suicide bombing that were hitherto defeated. The resurgence of terrorism is capable of eroding public confidence in the ability of the government to protect its own citizens.”
Raising concerns over the broader security situation, Atiku said, “The increased waves of killing of soldiers and civilians by terrorists is reviving sad memories of 2014 when Boko Haram was most active in the country.
“While I commend the sacrifices of our servicemen in the conduct of unconventional warfare, the Tinubu administration should review its strategies.”
He also criticised the government’s response to insecurity, stating, “Nigerians are not impressed with the government’s statements condemning terrorist attacks. They are more concerned about results. Results speak louder than the tough government’s rhetoric.”
Atiku further alleged, “The Tinubu government appears to be more obsessed with crushing opposition politicians than it is with fixing the worsening security challenges. And it is obvious that despite the marching orders, the terrorists are still on the offensive.”
He cautioned against politicising security concerns, saying, “Terrorists don’t know the difference between APC supporters and opposition sympathisers and it’s therefore unhelpful to dismiss honest advice as politically motivated.”
He also criticised the timing of the President’s UK trip, stating, “Our soldiers are dying with outdated equipment while the President is on a state visit to Britain, while body parts are being gathered in Borno.
“We urge His Majesty the King, @RoyalFamily, to know that his guest left behind fresh graves and weeping widows to come and smile for the cameras.
“You cannot campaign for 2027 on the graves of the people you failed to protect in 2026.”
Former presidential candidate Peter Obi described the incident as a reflection of worsening insecurity across the country.
Obi, in a statement via his X account on Tuesday, said, “The nation is once again engulfed in grief and outrage following the horrific explosions in Maiduguri, Borno State, yesterday.”
He added, “These tragic events serve as a painful reminder of how far we have strayed from the fundamental duty of governance: the protection of lives and property.”
Reacting further, Obi said, “The fact that several innocent Nigerians can be killed in multiple coordinated attacks, with over a hundred others injured in vulnerable places like markets and near hospitals, highlights a troubling reality.”
He also raised concerns over what he described as a muted national response to such incidents, stating, “The silence from our nation in response to such atrocities indicates a disturbing normalisation of insecurity rather than a decisive confrontation with the issue.”
The former Anambra State governor linked the Maiduguri attack to a broader pattern of insecurity across the country.
“In light of recent attacks in Kwara, Nasarawa, Kogi, Plateau, Sokoto, Benue, and even within the Federal Capital Territory, the pattern of insecurity is deeply concerning,” he said.
He further noted, “In some regions, such as Katsina, there are alarming reports of communities being coerced into paying a ‘Peace Tax’ to armed groups just to avoid further attacks and ensure their survival.”
Calling for urgent leadership response, Obi stated, “These moments test not only our security architecture but also the very essence of leadership. Such a grave national emergency requires immediate presence, attention, and action.”
