Following the multiple explosions that rocked Maiduguri on Monday evening, the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI has issued a fresh security alert, urging residents to remain calm but highly vigilant as troops and other security agencies intensify surveillance, patrols, and counter-IED operations across the metropolis.
The warning comes in the aftermath of what security authorities described as a coordinated suicide bombing attack carried out during Iftar in crowded civilian locations within the Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC).
SpyeTV News had earlier reported that the explosions occurred at about 7:05 p.m. on March 16, 2026, when suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated improvised explosive devices at three separate locations — the Post Office area, Monday Market axis, and the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH).
In a statement, Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer at the Headquarters Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI, said the attackers deliberately struck crowded public areas during the period of breaking fast in an apparent attempt to inflict mass casualties and spread fear across the city.
He described the incident as a cowardly and coordinated attack aimed at causing maximum civilian harm.
According to the military, troops of Operation HADIN KAI, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team and other sister security agencies, responded swiftly to the incident by securing the affected areas and cordoning off the blast scenes to prevent further casualties or secondary threats.
Emergency response teams, including personnel of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and medical service providers, immediately moved in to evacuate victims to the General Hospital, Specialist Hospital, and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for urgent treatment.
Authorities said medical teams are currently attending to the injured at various health facilities, while rescue and evacuation efforts remain ongoing.
Preliminary intelligence, according to the military, indicates that the terrorists may have infiltrated multiple suicide bombers into Maiduguri as part of a wider coordinated plot targeting crowded civilian areas, raising fears that additional operatives could still be at large.
In response, security forces have launched an expanded citywide security sweep, with intensified surveillance, aggressive patrols, and strengthened counter-IED measures aimed at tracking down any remaining suspects and preventing further attacks
Residents have been advised to avoid crowded areas where possible and to immediately report suspicious individuals, abandoned objects, or unusual activities to the nearest security agency.
Operation HADIN KAI also commiserated with the families of the victims and reaffirmed its resolve, alongside other security agencies, to relentlessly pursue those behind the attack and sustain efforts to safeguard lives and property across the North-East.
