Security Chiefs Relocate to Maiduguri After Deadly Bombings as Tinubu Vows Crackdown

Nigeria’s top security chiefs have relocated to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, following Monday night’s coordinated suicide bombings that killed 23 people and injured 108 others, in a renewed push to contain rising insurgent threats in the North-East.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the immediate deployment, describing the attacks as “desperate and frantic attempts” by terrorist groups under sustained military pressure. The directive comes amid growing concern over a resurgence of violence in Borno, long regarded as the epicentre of insurgency in Nigeria.

The attacks, carried out by suspected suicide bombers, struck three locations almost simultaneously — the busy Monday Market, the Post Office Flyover and the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital — at a time when many residents were breaking their Ramadan fast.

In a statement, the President expressed condolences to the victims and reaffirmed his administration’s resolve to defeat terrorism. He disclosed that security chiefs have now been mandated to take direct charge of operations in the state, while emergency agencies have been instructed to intensify medical support for the injured.

“We will locate them, confront them and completely defeat them. Nigeria will not succumb to fear,” Tinubu said.

The Borno State Police Command, through its spokesperson Nahum Daso, confirmed the casualty figures, noting that explosive ordnance experts had swept the affected areas to prevent further attacks. The Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, also visited the scenes and met with victims and responders.

Security forces, including troops under Operation Hadin Kai, had earlier repelled coordinated attacks on military formations in Ajilari, Damboa and Baga in the early hours of the same day, underscoring the scale of the coordinated offensive.

The incidents follow recent attacks in Gwoza Local Government Area, where fighters linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province reportedly killed soldiers and civilians.

Borno State has witnessed over a decade of insurgency since 2009, with thousands killed and millions displaced. Although military operations have reduced large-scale attacks in recent years, sporadic bombings and assaults continue to pose serious security challenges.

Tinubu revealed that additional military equipment and operational support had recently been approved to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts, signalling a renewed push to stabilise the region.