Nigeria’s Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has arrived in Maiduguri for an on-the-spot security assessment and condolence visit following a series of bomb explosions that killed dozens of people and injured more than 100 others.
The visit on Wednesday comes amid public anger and mourning after coordinated attacks in the Borno State capital exposed fresh security gaps in Nigeria’s insurgency-hit North-East.
In a statement, Shettima’s spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, said the vice president was in Maiduguri on behalf of President Bola Tinubu to assess the situation and offer condolences to affected families.
Shettima was received at Maiduguri International Airport by senior officials, including Deputy Governor Umar Usman Kadafur and Senator Kaka Shehu Lawan, alongside other political figures.
The visit follows Monday evening’s coordinated bombings at multiple locations across the city, including the crowded Monday Market, the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and the Post Office Flyover.
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The attacks occurred during the Ramadan iftar period, triggering panic among residents as police confirmed that at least 23 people were killed and 108 injured.
Also, the Borno State Police Command said the blasts, reported at about 7:24 pm, targeted busy civilian areas, raising renewed fears of a resurgence in militant violence.
Police spokesman Nahum Daso said affected sites were swiftly secured, explosive ordnance teams were deployed, and victims were taken to nearby hospitals for emergency treatment.
Despite assurances that calm has been restored, the attacks have once again shown the fragile security situation in Borno, years after federal authorities said insurgents had been largely subdued.
Separately, the Olatunji Rilwan Disu visited Maiduguri on Tuesday, meeting injured victims and senior state officials.
Kadafur acknowledged the prompt visit as a federal resolve, and pledged continued cooperation with security agencies to restore lasting peace.