Suicide bombings in Nigeria have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri, officials said Tuesday, while a leader of a Christian nonprofit warned that the violence highlights ongoing religious persecution.
The Associated Press reported that one of the deadliest attacks on Maiduguri in recent history involved explosions in busy areas on Monday evening, including a major market in the Borno state capital and the entrance to Maiduguri University Hospital.
Borno police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement that the injured “suffered varying degrees of injuries”, blaming the attacks on suspected suicide bombers.
President Bola Tinubu, who left Nigeria on Tuesday for a two-day state visit to the United Kingdom, offered his condolences to the victims and instructed security chiefs to “take charge of the situation” in Maiduguri.
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A general view of an armored police vehicle at a market in Maiduguri on March 17, 2026, a day after the explosions in the city. Coordinated blasts by suspected suicide bombers tore through a busy market and other areas in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100 others in one of the worst recent attacks on the Borno state capital. Three blasts detonated on the evening of March 16, 2026, just after people in the Muslim-majority city broke their Ramadan fast and hit a major market, the entrance to Maiduguri’s main teaching hospital and a post office. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
“Monday’s attacks were desperate acts of evil terrorist groups,” Tinubu said. “Our brave military and civilian task forces will contain them and put them down.”
Although no group has claimed responsibility, the AP reports that suspicion is focused on the jihadist group Boko Haram, which launched an uprising in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 to enforce its radical interpretation of Sharia law.
Since the insurgency began, Boko Haram has grown stronger, with thousands of fighters and multiple factions, some of which are aligning themselves with the Islamic State group.
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Funeral for victims of Boko Haram in Yobe, Nigeria (Stringer/Reuters)
The explosions started on Monday evening around 7:30 PM at the entrance to the university hospital. A few minutes later, a second and third explosion occurred at the Monday Market and a nearby post office, both about 4 km from the hospital.
Caleb Jonah, who survived the explosion at the hospital entrance, told the AP that he suffered injuries to his legs and hands.
“I came to the hospital to check in a patient when I saw two men struggling with the security men at the gate,” Jonah said. “Before I could process what was happening, I heard the deafening explosion and blacked out.”
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Nigerian soldiers drive around in pickup trucks during training at a military base in Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5, 2025. (Joris Bolomey/AFP via Getty Images)
Brad Brandon, CEO and founder of Across Nigeria, said the attack was personal. His organization is committed to transforming Nigeria and the surrounding regions by sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ, according to the group’s website.
“As CEO and Founder of Across Nigeria, these recent attacks in Maiduguri are personal and a stark reminder that devastating violence continues in Northern Nigeria,” he said in a statement. “This is the result of radical Islamic groups being allowed to operate unchecked. The only question is how many more need to be killed before the world wakes up to the genocide that slaughters thousands of Christians every year.”
“We condemn these violent acts and the perpetrators who commit them,” he added. “We also call on the US government to intervene and the media to embrace their role in bringing light to the hidden things of darkness.”
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Although Maiduguri has been the center of deadly violence in Nigeria, the country has enjoyed relative peace in recent years even as extremists ravaged the countryside.
Monday’s attack came less than 24 hours after the Nigerian army repelled attacks by militants outside Maiduguri.
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Heavy security had been deployed at affected locations and along major roads on Tuesday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
