Nigeria: Suicide bombers attack University of Maiduguri May 13

Event

Security officials confirmed that three suicide bombers attacked the University of Maiduguri in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 13. According to officials, two of the bombers detonated their devices at the front gate of the university after being challenged by security guards at approximately 01:10 (local time) in the morning. One guard was killed and another wounded in the blasts. The third bomber set off their device outside one of the university buildings, causing some material damage.

Context

According to media reports, this is the third attack targeting the University of Maiduguri in 2017. 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.