Nigeria: Multiple suicide bombers attack the University of Maiduguri May 18 and 20

Event

Suspected Boko Haram militants carried out suicide attacks targeting the University of Maiduguri on the night of Thursday, May 18, and the morning of Saturday, May 20. The attack on May 18 took place at approximately 23:50 (local time). Three bombers entered the university and detonated their devices after being intercepted by security guards. All three attackers were killed and three guards were wounded. On May 20, one suicide bomber attempted to enter a student housing building at the university before setting off his vest. Only the militant died in the blast.

Context

On May 13, three suicide bombers attacked the University of Maiduguri, killing one guard and wounding another. The university has been the target of at least five attacks this year. 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. Al-Barnaoui, son of Mohammed Yusuf - the founder of Boko Haram - was nominated by IS in August 2016 to replace Abubakar Shekau, leader of Boko Haram since 2009. Since then, the two leaders have been leading dissident factions with mixed ambitions, Al-Barnaoui blaming Shekau for massacring civilians rather than focusing on military targets.

Terrorist attacks are common in northern cities and towns. 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.