Maiduguri, Nigeria — At least 23 people were killed and 108 injured after suspected suicide bombings struck Maiduguri, the capital of northeastern Borno state, late Monday, police said Tuesday. Authorities called the strikes among the deadliest to hit the city in recent years.
Residents and emergency workers told The Associated Press they heard three blasts in crowded locations, including a major market and the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Borno police spokesperson Nahum Kenneth Daso said suspected suicide bombers carried out the attacks.
No organization immediately claimed responsibility, but officials and analysts pointed to Boko Haram and its breakaway factions, including groups aligned with the Islamic State, which have led an insurgency in the region since 2009. The movement has fragmented but remains active across parts of northeastern Nigeria and neighboring areas.
Maiduguri, long the epicenter of much of the violence, had experienced relative calm in recent years even as militants continued to strike rural communities. Volunteers and responders described chaotic scenes after the explosions; one volunteer said the assault was among the worst the city has seen and urged people to donate blood for the wounded.
In recent months extremists have intensified attacks on military bases, killing senior officers and soldiers and seizing weapons and ammunition, complicating efforts to secure the region. Authorities are investigating the bombings as local and national security forces work to prevent further attacks.