President Bola Tinubu has directed Nigeria’s top security chiefs to immediately relocate to Borno State following deadly bomb explosions in the state capital, Maiduguri, which left at least 23 people dead and more than 100 others injured.
The directive was contained in a State House statement issued on Tuesday, hours after multiple coordinated explosions rocked the city on Monday evening, throwing residents into panic.
Earlier reports indicated that the blasts, suspected to have been carried out by suicide bombers, occurred at three locations — the Maiduguri Monday Market, the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital gate, and the Post Office Flyover.
Confirming the casualties, the Borno State Police Command said 23 persons were killed while 108 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Reacting to the attack, Tinubu described the incident as “profoundly upsetting,” expressing condolences to the victims and residents of the state.
“I mourn those who lost their lives, sympathise with the injured and stand in solidarity with the people of Borno during this challenging time,” the president said.
He, however, described the attacks as desperate moves by insurgents under pressure from Nigerian forces.
“I want to make it categorically clear that these acts of terror are the final desperate and frantic attempts by criminals and terrorist elements trying to instil fear, as they are under constant pressure from our armed forces,” Tinubu stated.
In response to the scale of the attacks, the president ordered security chiefs to move to Maiduguri and take charge of operations on the ground.
“I have directed security chiefs to move to Maiduguri to take charge of the situation,” he said, adding that emergency agencies have also been instructed to ensure proper medical care for the injured.
Tinubu further revealed that he had recently approved additional military equipment and operational support for security agencies during a high-level security meeting.
Despite the rising insecurity, the president commended Nigerian troops for repelling what he described as coordinated terrorist assaults on military formations in the state.
“Our gallant military and civilian task forces will curtail and put them down,” he said.
The latest attack occurred around 7:24 p.m. on Monday, coinciding with iftar — the evening meal during Ramadan — a timing that increased civilian vulnerability.
“There is no place in Nigeria where terrorists will find safety. We will locate them, confront them, and completely defeat them,” Tinubu added.
