Maiduguri explosions:  Survivors recount ordeals; service chiefs relocate to Borno

2026-03-18 - 03:23

—I heard a loud sound and my neck started bleeding, victim recounts —23 dead, 108 injured in multiple suicide attacks, says Borno police command —Terrorists deploying multiple suicide bombers into Maiduguri— Army —Tinubu condemns attack, asks security chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri By Ndahi Marama & Luminous Jannamike MAIDUGURI — Some survivors of Monday night’s bomb blasts in Maiduguri, Borno State, recounted their ordeals yesterday, describing the multiple explosions as reminiscent of a war situation. The accounts came on a day President Bola Tinubu ordered service chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri to take charge of the situation. This is even as the Nigerian Police Force declared yesterday that the blasts killed no fewer than 23 persons, with 108 sustaining various degrees of injuries, some critically. But witnesses put the death toll at over 40. While Northern governors and the lawmaker representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, asked for Federal Government action to address the security situation in the country, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, warned that the resurgence of terrorism could erode public confidence in the government and called for an urgent review of security strategies. The African Democratic Congress, ADC, while condemning the blasts, flayed the President for choosing to travel to the United Kingdom to exchange pleasantries with King Charles while Nigerians mourned. Survivors recount ordeals Speaking from his bed at Umaru Shehu Hospital, Maiduguri, yesterday, one of the victims, Abacha Mustapha, who sustained injuries as a result of the blast, said he was preparing to leave the market after the day’s activities when the explosion occurred. “We broke our fast and were about to leave after closing our shops when the first bomb detonated. I heard a loud sound and suddenly my neck started bleeding,” he said. According to him, the impact of the blast threw people into confusion as traders and residents scampered for safety. “It was chaotic. People were running in different directions. Some fell, others were shouting. I couldn’t even understand what had happened at first,” he added. Mustapha said his brother, who was with him at the time, quickly came to his aid and helped save his life. He said: “My brother used his cloth to tie my neck to stop the bleeding before rushing me to the hospital. If not for him, I don’t know what would have happened.” Another survivor, Mohammed Jubril, said he could not explain how he survived the blasts as it happened very close to where he had gone to make payment for items he bought hours earlier. ‘’The blast deafened me immediately as I could no longer hear anything. People were running in different directions. The whole place was covered in smoke and I saw many people lying on the floor with injuries. As I speak with you, I cannot hear anything,’’ he said. Hauwa Sanusi, who claimed her younger sister had been missing since the blasts, appealed to all concerned to help locate her sister. She said, almost in tears: “ I don’t know what has become of my sister. She’s been missing since yesterday (Monday). We have visited some hospitals and couldn’t find her. We are in pain, please help us.” Another survivor and a bricklayer at Umaru Shehu UltraModern Hospital, Bulumkutu, who sustained injuries on his legs and right hand, expressed worry over how his family could get food to eat, being the only bread-winner of the family. “I am a father of five children, though I have to thank God for sparing my life, I am a bit worried over who will put food on the table for the children as my wife is jobless, and here I am on admission,” he cried. Victim call for blood donation At the State Specialist Hospital, Nura Bukar, who sustained a minor injury on his forehead, but was hospitalised due to heavy bleeding and needed blood transfusion, called on good Samaritans to visit the hospital and donate blood, saying there were many victims in critical condition who needed immediate blood transfusion to save their lives. More so, a victim in the female ward of Umaru Shehu Ultramodern Hospital, Maiduguri, Aisha Mallum Gana, said she was preparing to leave the market after the day’s activities when the explosion occurred. “I sell soft drinks at