Maiduguri Bomb Blasts: Victims Recount Ordeal As Death Toll Hits 25

| Terrorists’ attacks desperate, we’ll defeat them –Tinubu  | Governors condemn attacks

By Jonathan Nda-Isaiah, Francis Okoye, Babaji Usman Babaji, Abdullahi Olesin

The number of deaths in the triple suicide bomb attacks at three locations in Maiduguri on Monday has risen to 25.

Many survivors of the attacks, who are recuperating with various degrees of injuries at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), have continued to narrate their terrible experiences after the deadly attacks.

LEADERSHIP recalls that suicide bombers had, during the breaking of the Ramadan fast on Monday, detonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at the popular Post Office area, the Maiduguri Monday Market and the entrance gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, killing about 23 persons and wounding over 100 residents who sustained various degrees of injuries.

According to our correspondent, on the attack at the entrance of UMTH, one of the staff members of the hospital who sustained injuries during the blast, Usman Mohammed, said the suicide bombers attempted to gain entrance into the hospital with their tricycle, but were denied entry by the security men at the gate.

He said that, in their second attempt to enter the gate, unaware that every tricycle operating in the hospital was registered and had a registration number, they were again denied entry.

The UMTH employee added that when the suicide bombers attempted a third time and were denied entry, one of them detonated the IED strapped to his body, while the second suicide bomber threw a food flask containing an IED at the security personnel who prevented their entry, and the security personnel gallantly threw back the food flask to the suicide bomber and it exploded with him.

He said most of those who sustained injuries during the explosion were monitoring the ensuing exchange between the security men at the gate and the terrorists when the blasts occurred.

“The suicide bombers didn’t know that every tricycle operating in the hospital had a security tag. They saw tricycles entering and attempted to enter the hospital to carry out the attack, but thank God for the eagle-eyed security personnel at the gate, who quickly identified that they were strangers. If they had entered, the disaster would have been fatal,” he said.

Allen Jonah, one of the victims of the bomb blasts at the UMTH who suffered severe burns from the attack, said he was walking in to see someone in the hospital when he was met with the blast.

He said even though he was suffering some pain from the burns, surviving the attack should be a reason for him to be grateful to God.

Mohammed Mustapha, who survived the suicide bomb attacks at the Post Office area of Maiduguri, said the suicide bombers came in his presence and turned with their tricycle before detonating one of the bombs, and later detonated the remaining one.

He said six people lost their lives at the scene of the attacks, adding that everyone should be mindful of tricycles operating in the city.

Mustapha said that, from his experience of the incident, it is obvious that suicide bombers and terrorists had infiltrated the city; hence people should be more vigilant.

For Aisha Ali, whose husband was selling yams at the Elkanemi Roundabout area of Maiduguri Monday Market, she is nursing the pain of losing her breadwinner in the attack.

She added that her husband’s brother, who was also a yam seller in the same area, was affected by the bomb blast, but survived and is receiving treatment in the hospital.

“I was at home preparing food for breaking the Ramadan fast when I was called and told that my husband was affected by the bomb blast at the Monday Market.

“I rushed to the hospital and met him dead, while his brother, who sustained injuries from the blast, was being attended to. I have nothing to say but praise Allah, who does things at His own time,” Aisha Ali, the bereaved, said.

25 Deaths Recorded In Bomb Blasts – UMTH CMD

Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Prof Ahmed Adhijo, has revealed that 25 lives were lost in the Borno triple blasts.

The CMD stated that the hospital treated 70 of the bomb victims, in addition to others who were treated as outpatients.

He commended Governor Babagana Zulum for providing everything necessary for the treatment of the victims, especially consumables.

Terrorists’ Attacks Desperate, We’ll Defeat Them — Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu has described the recent terrorist attacks in Borno State as desperate attempts by insurgents, vowing that his administration will defeat them.

Reacting to the attacks in Maiduguri, the president expressed grief over the loss of lives and sympathised with those injured, while assuring residents of the state of the Federal Government’s support.

In a statement personally signed by him, Tinubu said the assaults were the “final desperate and frantic attempts” by criminal and terrorist elements seeking to instil fear.

“The recent news from Maiduguri, Borno State, is profoundly upsetting. I mourn those who lost their lives, sympathise with the injured and stand in solidarity with the people of Borno during this challenging time,” he said.

According to the president, the attackers were under pressure from the armed forces and security agencies, adding that efforts against criminal elements would be intensified.

NGF Condemns Maiduguri Suicide Bombings

On its part, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has described as shocking and despicable the multiple suicide bombings in Maiduguri on Monday night.

Condemning the attacks as evil and unacceptable, the Forum said the incidents were a reckless waste of human lives, and tasked the security forces to degrade the capacity of the terrorists to carry out such attacks.

The forum said this in a statement signed by its chairman and Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Northern Governors Condemn Maiduguri Bomb Blasts

The chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, yesterday condemned the deadly explosions that rocked Maiduguri on Monday evening, describing them as a direct assault on innocent lives.

In a statement by his spokesman, Isma’ila Uba Misilli, on Tuesday, Governor Yahaya expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident and extended his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Borno State, particularly families who lost their loved ones.

Army Raises Alarm Over Suicide Bombers’ Deployment

The Nigerian Army has revealed that preliminary information has further indicated that Boko Haram terrorists may have deployed multiple suicide bombers to Maiduguri with the intention of carrying out coordinated suicide bombings at crowded locations.

The Army, in a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday by the Media Information Officer of Operation Hadin Kai Joint Task Force, Lt Col Sani Uba, in Maiduguri, said security forces had, therefore, intensified surveillance, patrols, and counter-IED measures across the metropolis to track down any remaining suspects and prevent further attacks.

Part of the statement read, “The cowardly attacks targeted crowded public areas in an attempt by the terrorists to inflict mass casualties and create panic within the metropolis.”

Why Maiduguri Triple Blasts Succeeded – IGP Disu

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, revealed that Boko Haram terrorists succeeded in carrying out the attack because they capitalised on the loopholes they identified in security agencies and communities before the attacks.

IGP Disu made this comment while speaking on the triple suicide bomb attacks in Maiduguri at the headquarters of the Borno State Police Command yesterday.

IGP Disu, who commended residents of Maiduguri and Borno State in general for their resilience against Boko Haram terrorist attacks for decades, expressed concern that the residents had suddenly relaxed in their vigilance against the terrorists; hence the criminals were able to regroup and continue coordinated attacks.

“The police are doing a lot; there is a surveillance team. I want you to know that we are dealing with dangerous criminals who see what we are doing, and because they are criminals, they try to look for security and community loopholes to carry out the attacks,” he said.

Borno Attributes Attacks To Ongoing Onslaught

On his part, Borno State Deputy Governor Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur has attributed the attacks in some parts of Maiduguri and the Monday triple suicide bomb attacks in three locations in Maiduguri to the ongoing onslaught on the terrorists in Sambisa Forest and the Mandara Mountains in Gwoza and other enclaves of the terrorists.

Kadafur stated this after paying a sympathy visit to the victims of the bomb blasts recuperating at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).

“As human beings, we assume that because of the ongoing operations in Sambisa Forest, the heat has been so much on the terrorists, so they decided to enter Maiduguri.

“But I want to assure the whole public that the situation is calm; we want people to be vigilant. They should avoid crowded areas and report any suspicious movements to security agencies,” he said.

ADC, Turaki-led PDP Condemn Attack, Knock Tinubu

By Chibuzo Ukaibe, Abuja

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Tanimu Turaki-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have condemned the recent multiple bombings in Maiduguri, resulting in at least 23 deaths and injuring more than 100 people.

They blamed President Bola Tinubu’s administration for focusing more on politics than providing security.

While the ADC called on President Tinubu to return immediately to the country from his UK trip to show that he cares about something other than his politics, the PDP faction said the blasts are further evidence of the inability of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to curb the growing insecurity in the country.

The national publicity secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, while expressing the party’s sympathy with the victims and their families, raised concerns about what it described as a lack of leadership focus at a critical moment.

On his part, the national publicity secretary of the Turaki-led PDP, Comrade Ini Ememobong, said, “While we sympathise with the families who have been affected by this dastardly and most condemnable act, we call on the Federal Government to move beyond rhetoric in security matters and engage strategic stakeholders, especially community leaders, as part of a whole-of-society approach to combating insecurity.”

The party spokesman said the bombings are an unfortunate addition to the numerous acts of grave insecurity that have occurred under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who was the loudest campaign voice for the then opposition APC, promising to end insecurity immediately if his party was elected.

POINTS TO PONDER

1.  A wave of coordinated explosions struck Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Monday night, marking one of the deadliest attacks in recent years. The blasts—suspected suicide bombings—hit crowded civilian sites, including the Monday Market, a central post office, the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and nearby neighbourhoods. At least 23 people were killed and more than 100 were injured, overwhelming hospitals.

2.   The timing amplified the impact. The attacks occurred during Ramadan, when residents were breaking their fast and markets and public spaces were busiest. The near-simultaneous explosions suggest coordination, a hallmark of  Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), though no group has claimed responsibility.

3.  The bombings follow a recent surge in insurgent activity across Borno. In early March, ISWAP fighters reportedly overran military bases, killing dozens of soldiers. Earlier incidents include a January ambush in Damasak and killings in Sabon Gari, pointing to escalating violence.

4.  Throughout 2025, suicide bombings and IED attacks persisted, including a December mosque bombing in Maiduguri and earlier attacks in Konduga.

5.  The trend signals a troubling resurgence of insurgency, with Maiduguri increasingly vulnerable despite years of military operation