By 𝔸bdulrazak Tomiwa

New details have revealed an attempted suicide bombing at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital involving three teenagers. 

The attackers concealed explosives inside a food flask, intending to target the main building filled with patients and visitors. Their plan was to pose as relatives bringing meals to avoid suspicion during the infiltration.

The suspects arrived at the hospital gate in a tricycle (Keke Napep) and were described as disheveled boys aged 13 or 14. Their aggressive driving and unkempt appearance immediately alerted security personnel who were already on high alert.

The guards blocked their path, preventing the group from breaching the facility’s internal perimeter.

During the confrontation, the teenagers initially resisted orders to reverse their vehicle. Security guard, Ali Musa noted their “terrifying looks” as they realized their path was blocked. The situation escalated quickly when the suspects attempted to force their way through before eventually being compelled to turn back.

As the tricycle reversed, one of the teenagers threw the booby-trapped food flask at the guards. Musa heroically kicked the flask away just before it detonated, likely saving many lives.

The explosion knocked him to the ground and injured his hand, but successfully kept the blast away from the crowded wards.

A second explosion occurred shortly after near the same spot, causing further chaos at the entrance.

The blasts left a female security officer with a broken leg and injured an “Almajiri” boy nearby. While the guard sought cover in a garden, the entrance area was left devastated by the twin attacks.

The day’s coordinated violence across the city resulted in 23 deaths and 108 injuries. Although the specific death toll for the hospital gate remains part of the total count, the intent was clearly to inflict mass casualties. The use of children as bomb carriers has sparked widespread outrage across the region.

A separate explosion hit the Monday Market that evening, likely carried out by another young suicide bomber in an explosive vest. Witnesses described a horrific scene where the carrier was blown apart and other victims were burnt beyond recognition. The back-to-back attacks created an atmosphere of intense fear throughout Maiduguri.

In response to the rising violence, President Bola Tinubu ordered top service chiefs to relocate to Borno State immediately. The Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff have since arrived in the capital to oversee new security measures. Authorities are now focused on preventing further recruitment of teenagers for such deadly missions.