Multiple suspected suicide bombings struck the north-eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, on Monday evening during iftar, the breaking of fast in the month of Ramadan. Authorities reported that explosions occurred at the post office, market areas, and the entrance to the University of Maiduguri teaching hospital, killing at least 23 people and injuring more than 100 others. This incident shattered the city's reputation as a relative oasis of calm in recent years, as a long-running insurgency had been pushed to the rural hinterlands.
Military spokesperson Sani Uba stated in a release that the bombings were carried out by "suspected Boko Haram terrorist suicide bombers," targeting "crowded public areas in an attempt by the terrorists to inflict mass casualties and create panic within the metropolis." The explosions followed an attack at a military post on the outskirts of the city from Sunday night into Monday morning, though no group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident.
Boko Haram was founded in 2002 but intensified attacks after the extrajudicial killing of its then-leader Mohammed Yusuf in July 2009. Under the regime of his successor, the more aggressive Abubakar Shekau, the sect splintered, with the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) becoming the dominant faction. These groups, battling the Nigerian state in an attempt to establish an Islamic caliphate, have displaced over 2 million people and killed hundreds of thousands in the region.
Most terrorist activity has occurred in rural areas outside Maiduguri, but last year's Christmas Eve bombing at a mosque (killing at least five) and the current attacks signal a resurgence of threat in the city. Borno governor Babagana Zulum raised alarms last April about jihadists staging a comeback, yet many fear his warning, which led to a spat with federal authorities, was not properly heeded.
President Bola Tinubu, who is on a state visit to the UK, announced on Tuesday morning that he had directed security chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri "to take charge of the situation" and "locate them, confront them and completely defeat them." While these measures aim to restore calm in the city, the persistent nature of the terrorist threat remains a serious challenge for Nigeria's regional stability.
Source: www.theguardian.com