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Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima travelled to the northeastern city of Maiduguri on Wednesday, promising to restore “full peace and sanity” following a devastating triple suicide bombing that claimed 23 lives.
The attacks, which struck a market, a post office, and a hospital entrance on Monday evening, occurred just as residents were breaking their Ramadan fasts.
Visiting the wounded in the hospital, Shettima assured the public that the government would intensify its efforts to combat the long-running insurgency that has plagued the region for nearly two decades.
The surge in violence comes as fighters from Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) ramp up operations against both military and civilian targets.
In a significant counter-operation on Wednesday, the Nigerian military reported killing 80 terrorists who were allegedly preparing an assault on a military post in Borno State.
While President Bola Tinubu is currently on a state visit to the United Kingdom, the nation’s defence chiefs also arrived in Maiduguri to coordinate a response to what they described as a typical seasonal spike in extremist activity during Ramadan.
Chief of Defence Staff General Olufemi Oluyede acknowledged the recent uptick in attacks but emphasised the need for community cooperation to end the violence.
He noted that assailants are often known to residents, suggesting that civilian vigilance is as crucial as military action in checkmating the insurgency.
As the front lines of the conflict shift beyond its original northeastern epicentre, the government remains under pressure to secure urban centres and prevent further coordinated raids on military positions.
