Nigeria

At Least 23 Killed in Nigeria Suicide Bombings

Are the Maiduguri bombings proof of a surging Boko Haram threat or desperate acts by a group already under pressure?

Published 1 hour ago

At Least 23 Killed in Nigeria Suicide Bombings

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Above: Military personnel inspect the scene of the explosion at a mosque in the Gamboru market in Maiduguri on Dec. 25, 2025. Image credit: Audu Marte/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

Nigeria's government is not sitting idle — security chiefs are being deployed directly to Maiduguri, additional military equipment has been approved, and counter-Improvised Explosive Device (IED) measures are already being intensified across the city. The attacks appear to reflect increasingly desperate, last-ditch moves by groups under sustained and mounting pressure from Nigerian forces. The response so far is swift, coordinated, and signals a serious, multi-layered effort to contain the threat and stabilize the situation.

Guardian Premium Times Nigeria

Government-critical narrative

The Maiduguri bombings further underscore that Boko Haram and Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP) are resurging with deadly force, deliberately targeting civilians during Ramadan’s Iftar period in crowded markets and hospitals. A 16-year insurgency that has already killed more than 40,000 people now appears to be intensifying rather than fading, with attacks growing both in frequency and impact. Treating this as a contained or diminishing threat risks obscuring the brutal and evolving reality on the ground, where civilians remain acutely vulnerable.

IOL