News
Maiduguri blast: Police confirm 23 dead, 108 wounded *They’ve introduced drones – Zulum
Monday’s bomb blast in parts of Maiduguri, claimed at least 23 lives while 108 people were injured, signals from the Borno State Police Command, confirmed on Tuesday.
Nahum Daso, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said in a statement on Tuesday, hours after the blast that happened in the state capital that suspected suicide bombers allegedly carried out the suicide attacks at 7:24pm on Monday.
Informing that preliminary investigations indicated that the explosions were carried out using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by suspected suicide bombers, Daso added that the incidents were carried out at the Maiduguri Central Market, popularly known as Monday Market, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital gate, and Post Office Flyover area of the town.
He said that a combined team of Police Tactical Units, military personnel, and other joint security operatives was swiftly deployed to the affected areas.
Stating that the scenes were immediately secured and cordoned off, while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit conducted thorough sweep operations to ensure no additional threats remained, he stated that Naziru Abdulmajid, Commissioner of Police in the state, had already visited the scenes for an on-the-spot assessment while commiserating with victims and their families.
Daso, who assured residents of the command’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property, said that victims were evacuated by emergency responders, including the National Emergency Management Agency and Borno State Emergency Management Agency, to medical facilities for treatment.
He said normalcy had been restored in the affected areas, while security had been heightened across the metropolis to forestall further incidents.
Urging residents to remain calm and vigilant and report any suspicious movements or objects to security agencies, the command reiterated the its commitment to maintaining peace and security in the state.
The incident occurred less than 24 hours after suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked Ajilari community at the outskirts of Maiduguri, indicating a return of violence to the capital which had remained the safest areas in recent times in the ugly campaign that has persisted for most of the last 16 years.
Earlier, suspected jihadists launched an overnight attack on a Nigerian military post on the outskirts of Maiduguri, while another attack took place in the Damboa local government area, south of Maiduguri.
With at least five explosions being reported in the last six months in the state, the fighters said to be from Boko Haram and rival jihadist group Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) appear to have recently stepped up attacks in the in the decade-old campaign believed to have resulted in more than 40,000 deaths with around two million displaced.
They include the 24 December 2025 explosion at a mosque in Gamboru Market, Maiduguri, during the Maghrib prayer, which killed at least five people, and the explosion reported at Tashan Kifi (a fish market entry point) in Konduga town in June, 2025, when a female suicide bomber detonated explosives.
In April 2025, an IED explosion struck commuters travelling on a military-escorted convoy along the Maiduguri–Damboa Road, killing seven commuters.
In October 2025, Zulum called on the Federal Government to conduct an immediate and comprehensive review of the nation’s air safety and defence mechanisms.
Speaking in Mafa town, following a disturbing incident in which Boko Haram terrorists deployed a drone to attack a military formation in the state, signaling a dangerous escalation in the capabilities of the terrorist group, the governor expressed concern over the emergence of this new threat.
“One thing I want to comment on is the issue of drones. This is frightening. In Dikwa, I was told drones were used.
“The proliferation of drones, particularly in the hands of non-state actors, is of great concern for the entire country. We have to do something to stop the rampant use of armed drones,” Zulum had said.
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, announced the approval of the establishment of a Presidential Task Force on Ebola Virus Disease Preparedness and Emerging Public Health Threats and ordered the immediate release of ₦10 billion as emergency intervention funding.
Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, who conveyed the development to the public, said the fund would strengthen the operational preparedness of the National Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) and support critical national public health emergency response activities.
To be chaired by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff (CoS) to the President, the committee with membership drawn from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and state representatives is also expected to get briefings on their plans to contain the disease.
Onanuga, stated that Tinubu also specifically directed all states hosting international airports and international border corridors, as well as relevant MDAs, to submit their plans, funding requirements and intervention needs for consideration and coordinated implementation.
Stating that the President’s move followed a stakeholder meeting convened under the CoS to review Nigeria’s preparedness and develop strategies against the possible importation of Ebola into the country., the statement informed that the Task Force would also intensify passenger screening at all international airports through enhanced temperature checks and crowd-control protocols.
Other measures would also include enhanced monitoring of passengers arriving through high-risk airline routes, including Air Uganda, Rwanda Air, Air Tanzania, Air Angola, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines; and the immediate activation of referral and isolation centres at the Lagos and Abuja international airports, with other airports to follow.
Other measures include the mandatory activation of QR code-based pre-arrival health declaration systems for passengers originating from or transiting through designated high-risk countries, as well as the disinfection of departure halls, cargoes, baggage areas and airport facilities as precautionary environmental measures.
The President also directed the advisory group to consult with security, diplomatic and aviation bodies on regulating flights from affected and designated high-risk countries and mandated the task force to designate specific airports or terminals for high-risk flights to enable controlled screening and isolation procedures, and to consider adjusting flight schedules to minimise interaction between high-risk passengers and other travellers.
Justice Akintoye Aluko of the Federal High Court, Lagos on Tuesday ordered the remand of Paul Jibrin Oweleke in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over alleged cybercrime offences linked to social media broadcasts that allegedly called for overthrow of President Bola Tinubu.
Specifically, Oweleke, in a two-count charge was accused of publishing posts on his online platform known as “Oweleke TV”, urging the Nigerian military to remove the President from office in a manner similar to takeovers in some West African countries, an act the agency said bordered on incitement and the use of a computer system to disseminate content considered prejudicial to national security and constitutional governance.
Oweleke’s broadcasts, the agency stressed, were capable of inciting public disorder and promoting disaffection against the government, which will undermine the country’s democracy.
Legal argument had ensued immediately after Oweleke, pleaded not guilty to the charges, with his lawyer kicking vehemently against the prayer of the agency that the court should order his remand pending the commencement of trial, on the ground that a bail application had already been filed and served on the prosecution.
But Aluko, who was persuaded to grant the prayer, went with the DSS, while adjourning the matter to June 16 for the hearing of the bail application, stating that Oweleke, would remain in the facility of the agency pending the outcome.
By June 29 all medical doctors in public hospitals in Nigeria will drop their stethoscopes and other instruments of healthcare, unless the Federal Government settles all unpaid allowances, salary arrears, delayed training funds, and worsening welfare concerns of its members across the country’s health sector.
This was the notice served to the government on Monday, through The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the umbrella under which the doctors operate, after rising from Ordinary General Meeting (OGM) held in Kano.
In the 21-day ultimatum to the government, the doctors warned that it would not be able to guarantee industrial harmony if the issues remain unresolved within the 21-day period.
In the resolution conveying their position, signed by Mohammad Suleiman, President, Shuaibu Ibrahim, Secretary-General, and Abdulmajid Yahya Ibrahim, Publicity and Social Secretary, on Friday, the body regretted that government had failed to fulfil several commitments to doctors despite repeated assurances and engagements.
“The association hereby declares an industrial dispute with the federal government of Nigeria on the outlined matters above and cannot guarantee industrial harmony after the 21-day window period given to address all the demands,” the communique reads.
The association said it is giving the federal government the 21-day window to commence concrete actions towards the development and implementation of a national healthcare workers assault prevention and response protocol
and the initiation of the necessary legislative process to address the menace.
NARD also demanded the release and payment of the 2026 medical residency training fund (MRTF) to all eligible resident doctors nationwide within the next 21 days.
The association questioned the unpaid salary and promotion arrears in several federal and state health institutions, as well as discrepancies in professional allowances reflected in members’ May 2026 salaries.
It highlighted the welfare issues affecting house officers, including salary delays, unpaid arrears, and difficulties with internship placement and onboarding processes that remain unresolved.
It also accused Motunrayo Omidiran, executive chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), of delaying the issuance of letters of compliance to federal health institutions, noting that the delay has hampered recruitment efforts, manpower shortages, and brain drain in the sector.
NARD expressed worries about the increasing assaults, harassment, intimidation, and violent attacks against doctors while on duty, demanding the arrests, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators.
It called for the establishment of a national healthcare workers’ assault prevention and response protocol within 21 days by the federal government and security agencies.
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