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A bomb blast in Nigeria has killed at least 23 people and injured more than 100 in Maiduguri, officials said on Tuesday, as a Christian non-profit leader warned of violence highlighting ongoing persecution.
The Associated Press reported that one of the deadliest attacks in Maiduguri in recent history involved explosions in crowded areas on Monday night, including a large market in the Borno capital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Borno police spokesman Nahum Kenneth Daso said in a statement that the injured were “injured to varying degrees,” accusing the attack of suspected suicide bombers.
President Bola Tinubu, who left Nigeria on Tuesday for a two-day visit to the United Kingdom, expressed his condolences to the victims and ordered the security chiefs to “hold their own” 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 explosion in the city. Planned suicide bombers tore through a busy market and elsewhere in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 100, in one of the deadliest attacks in the Borno state capital. Three explosions went off on the night of March 16, 2026, shortly after people in the predominantly Muslim town broke their Ramadan fast, hitting the main market, the entrance to Maiduguri’s largest teaching hospital and the post office. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
“Monday’s attack was an act of evil-minded terrorists,” Tinubu said. “Our strong troops and soldiers will slow them down and put them down.”
Although no group has claimed responsibility, the AP reported that the blame falls on the jihadist group Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 to enforce its interpretation of Shariah law.
Since the insurgency began, Boko Haram has grown in strength, with thousands of fighters and numerous factions, some aligned with the Islamic State group.
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Funeral of Boko Haram victims in Yobe, Nigeria (Stringer/Reuters)
Monday night’s explosion started around 7:30 pm at the entrance of the teaching hospital. A few minutes later, the second and third blasts followed at the Monday Market and the nearby post office, both 2.5 kilometers from the hospital.
Caleb Jonah, who survived the explosion at the hospital gate, told the AP that he suffered injuries to his legs and hands.
“I was coming to the hospital to check on a patient when I saw two men struggling with the security guard at the gate,” said Jonah. “Before I could process what was happening I heard a deafening sound and fainted.”
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Nigerian soldiers patrol during a training exercise 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 surrounding regions by sharing the love of God through Jesus Christ, according to the group’s website.
“As the CEO and founder of Across Nigeria, this latest attack in Maiduguri is personal and a stark reminder that horrific 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 must be killed, before the world wakes up to the massacre that kills thousands of Christians every year.”
“We condemn these acts of violence and the perpetrators who commit them,” he added. “We also ask the US Government to intervene and the media to accept their role in bringing light to the hidden things of darkness.”
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Although Maiduguri has been at the center of Nigeria’s deadly violence, it has enjoyed relative peace in recent years, as extremists attack the countryside.
Monday’s attack came less than 24 hours after the Nigerian military called off a military offensive outside Maiduguri.
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By Tuesday morning, security had been deployed in the affected areas and on major roads.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
