Deadly bombings in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State in northeastern Nigeria, have raised fresh concerns about a possible resurgence of Boko Haram attacks and the continued vulnerability of civilians in the region. Human Rights Watch said the attacks highlight the urgent need for Nigerian authorities to strengthen civilian protection in an area that has endured more than a decade of armed conflict involving Boko Haram and its splinter factions.
The attacks took place on the evening of March 16, 2026, targeting crowded public places including a market, an area near a post office, and the gate of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. According to police, 23 people were killed and 108 others injured. Human Rights Watch said the strikes appear to have been indiscriminate, making them potential war crimes under international law because they targeted civilians in public spaces without distinction.
Although no armed group has formally claimed responsibility, the Nigerian military described the bombings as coordinated attempts by suspected Boko Haram fighters to inflict mass casualties and spread panic. Human Rights Watch noted that Boko Haram, formally known as Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, has a long history of carrying out suicide bombings against civilians, and the nature of the attacks has renewed fears that the group may be regaining strength.
Analysts have suggested that Boko Haram’s original faction, which had been weakened after the death of longtime leader Abubakar Shekau in 2021 during clashes with the Islamic State West Africa Province, may now be re-emerging. These concerns have been reinforced by several recent attacks in the region, including a December 2025 bombing of a mosque in Maiduguri that killed five people and shattered a period of relative calm in the city.
Maiduguri remains the epicenter of Nigeria’s insurgency response and a major humanitarian hub supporting people displaced or affected by the long-running conflict. Because of its strategic and humanitarian importance, attacks in the city are especially alarming, as they not only endanger civilians but also threaten the broader stability of relief and security operations across northeastern Nigeria.
Human Rights Watch included witness accounts that illustrate the human toll of the bombings. A tailor who had gone to eat after breaking his Ramadan fast near the hospital described seeing an argument between two young men in a commercial tricycle and a security guard before one of the men threw what appeared to be a food flask that later exploded. He said a second blast followed as bystanders rushed to the scene, leaving him with shrapnel wounds to his back, legs, and stomach.
Another witness, a food vendor, said she had just delivered food to hospital staff and was near the gate when she noticed the same argument but became distracted by a phone call. Moments later, an explosion erupted, flames spread through the area, and she lost consciousness. She later woke up in the hospital and saw several unconscious victims being brought in, including a young girl who was later pronounced dead.
Other survivors described the chaos and trauma that followed. A cap seller recounted hearing an earlier explosion near the Monday Market area before being caught in a second blast near the hospital, after which he found himself injured and covered in blood. A fruit seller near the post office said the blast “scattered everything,” forcing people to flee in panic. He later returned to help victims and recognized one of the dead as a young customer who had bought bananas from him moments earlier. He also said the bombing destroyed his entire stock, leaving him traumatized and without a livelihood.
Human Rights Watch placed the latest attacks in the broader context of accountability for abuses in northeastern Nigeria. In 2020, then–International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said there was a reasonable basis to believe that both Boko Haram and its splinter groups, as well as Nigerian security forces, had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the conflict. However, no formal ICC investigation was opened at the time, partly due to limited resources, and the situation remains under preliminary examination.
The organization is urging Nigerian authorities to urgently improve protection for civilians in high-risk areas, strengthen early warning and rapid response systems, and provide support for survivors and people whose livelihoods were destroyed. It also called for swift, transparent investigations into the Maiduguri bombings and accountability for those responsible, warning that civilians in northeastern Nigeria continue to face extreme and ongoing danger from armed groups despite years of military operations.
