Blasts rock Maiduguri after insurgent attacks repelled, casualties feared

Maiduguri— Multiple explosions struck Maiduguri in northeastern Nigeria on Monday, hitting key locations across the city and leaving several people feared dead, according to the state governor and residents.

Babagana Zulum said the blasts caused casualties and injuries, condemning the attacks as “utterly condemnable, barbaric, and inhumane,” though he did not provide a breakdown of victims or identify those responsible.

Security sources and residents said the first explosion occurred at a post office in the city centre, followed shortly by another at the popular Monday market nearby.

Additional blasts were reported at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and in the Kaleri neighbourhood in the eastern part of the city.Witnesses said they saw bodies at the market site, but the number of casualties and the cause of the explosions were not immediately confirmed.

Police spokesperson Nahum Daso Kenneth said security personnel and emergency responders were deployed to affected areas following the incidents.

Authorities urged residents to remain calm and avoid blast sites while assessments and rescue efforts continued.

The attacks came hours after the Nigerian military said it had repelled assaults on the outskirts of Maiduguri by suspected Islamist insurgents.

Militant groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have intensified operations in Borno State in recent weeks, targeting military bases, killing troops and seizing weapons.