Nigeria: At least 15 killed in suicide bombings in Maiduguri Oct. 22

Event

On Sunday, October 22, at 21:45 (local time), a suicide bomber detonated an explosive belt near an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in the Muna Garage area of Maiduguri (Borno state), killing the assailant and 13 other people and injuring five more. Unconfirmed reports indicate that at least one other suicide bomber killed himself in a separate attack minutes later, injuring 13 people in the Muna Dalti area of Maiduguri.

Boko Haram is suspected of being responsible for the attacks.

Context

Since 2015, a counterinsurgency operation carried out by a coalition of West African states (Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger) against Boko Haram has greatly diminished the militant group's territorial control. However, Boko Haram still routinely carries out deadly terrorist attacks, particularly in the northeast of Nigeria. The group typically attacks security forces and governmental buildings, as well as public venues (markets, places of worship, schools, bars, areas where broadcasts of sports competitions are displayed, etc.), and frequently carries out suicide bombings and kidnappings (regularly followed by assassinations and targeting primarily foreign nationals).

Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) in March 2015 and formally adopted the name of Islamic State in West Africa.

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. Borno, Yobe, Gombe, Bauchi, and Jigawa states as well as parts of Kano and Adamawa states) and the southern Niger Delta region (e.g. Delta, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, and Rivers states). Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel to these areas.