Nigeria: Suicide bombings near Maiduguri July 23-24

Event

Suicide bombers detonated explosive devices near the Dalori Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp located on the outskirts of Maiduguri (Borno State), along the Maiduguri-Bama road on Sunday night, July 23.  The attack reportedly occurred at approximately 23:20 (local time), killing eight people and injuring 13 others. A fourth explosion reportedly took place in the early hours of Monday, July 24. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Boko Haram is strongly suspected.

Context

The northeastern region of Nigeria is highly susceptible to attacks by Boko Haram, which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in March 2015 and formally adopted the name of Islamic State in West Africa. The most recent attack happened on July 17, when three suicide bombers launched an attack in Muna General area, leaving at least ten dead and 13 injured. Public venues (markets, places of worship, schools, bars, areas where broadcasts of sports competitions are displayed, etc.) as well as security forces and governmental buildings are frequently struck by attacks, suicide bombings (targeted or untargeted), and kidnappings (regularly followed by assassination and targeting primarily foreign nationals).

Advice

The security environment in Nigeria is complex and particularly poor in the northeast and extreme south of the country due to the presence of armed groups, high crime rates, and the risk of kidnapping. Some Western governments consequently advise against travel to certain areas of the northeast (e.g. states of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states) and the southern Niger Delta region (e.g. states of Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.