…Blasts hit Post Office area, teaching hospital gate
…Casualty figures still unclear as victims rush to hospitals
Multiple explosions rocked Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Monday evening, less than 24 hours after suspected insurgents attacked the Ajilari community on the outskirts of the city.
The blasts, believed to have been caused by improvised explosive devices, reportedly occurred around 7:15 p.m. near the Post Office area in the city’s bustling Monday Market district and at the main gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
The incidents threw residents into panic as emergency responders and security personnel rushed to the affected locations.
Amateur video footage obtained by reporters showed injured victims being evacuated from the blast sites and rushed to hospitals across the city for urgent medical attention..
Confirming the incidents, the Police Public Relations Officer in Borno State, ASP Nahum Daso, said authorities had received preliminary reports of explosions at the hospital’s main gate and the Post Office area.
“Yes, there were reports of explosions at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital main gate and the Post Office area, but the one at Monday Market, I have no information yet. I will get back to you as soon as I have further details,” Daso said.
He added that the number of casualties remained uncertain as victims had been taken to different hospitals in the state capital.
However, residents feared that the blasts might have claimed several lives and left many others injured.
A media aide to the Borno State Governor, Dauda Iliya, was quoted as saying that relevant agencies were working to ascertain whether there were casualties from the incidents.
“Agencies are trying to confirm if there are any casualties from the blasts at the market and the teaching hospital,” he said.
An AFP reporter at the hospital said dozens of injured people were seen receiving treatment shortly after the explosions.
A staff member of the National Blood Service Commission, Idris Suleiman Gimba, also confirmed that a blast occurred near the Post Office area.
The explosions came hours after suspected insurgents launched an overnight attack on a Nigerian military post on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Another attack was also reported in Damboa Local Government Area, south of the state capital.
Security analysts say fighters from Boko Haram and the rival Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have recently intensified attacks in Nigeria’s North-East.
The insurgency, which has lasted for about 16 years, has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced about two million people across the region.
