Vice President Kashim Shettima has assured Nigerians that the Federal Government will decisively confront those responsible for Monday’s coordinated bomb explosions in Maiduguri, Borno State, which left over 20 people dead and more than 100 injured.
Shettima gave the assurance on Wednesday during a visit to victims receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President said the visit was to sympathise with the victims and families affected by the attacks.
Condemning the incident, Shettima described the perpetrators as barbaric, stressing that no cause justifies the killing of innocent people.
“We are here to sympathise with the injured and families affected by this tragedy. The Federal Government will ensure that those behind these attacks are decisively confronted,” he said.
He added that, beyond President Bola Tinubu’s directive to security chiefs, the government is increasing investment in equipment and logistics to strengthen the fight against terrorism nationwide.
Shettima also assured victims and their families of support through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the North East Development Commission (NEDC), and the Borno State Government.
The Vice President was accompanied by Borno State Deputy Governor, Usman Kadafur; NEMA Director-General, Zubaida Umar; Chief Medical Director of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Prof. Ahmed Ahijo; and other officials.
Attack details
The attacks occurred around 7:02 p.m. on Monday when three suicide bombers detonated explosives almost simultaneously at the Maiduguri Monday Market, the Post Office flyover, and the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
The Borno State Police Command confirmed that 23 people were killed, while 108 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Following the incident, President Tinubu directed security chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri to take charge of the situation, describing the attacks as “desperate and frantic attempts” by terrorists under pressure from Nigerian security forces.
The President had earlier approved additional equipment and operational support for security and intelligence agencies during a meeting on March 12, noting that the measures are already being implemented.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has warned of possible further attacks, raising concerns that suspected Boko Haram insurgents may have deployed additional suicide bombers into Maiduguri.
In a statement, the Media Information Officer of the Northeast Joint Taskforce, Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sanni Uba, said the attacks targeted crowded areas in an attempt to cause mass casualties and spread panic.
“Preliminary information indicates that the terrorists may have deployed multiple suicide bombers into Maiduguri with the intention of carrying out coordinated attacks at crowded locations,” Uba said.
