The Borno State Police Command has said normalcy has been restored in Maiduguri following multiple bomb explosions that rocked the city on Monday.
The command’s spokesperson, Kenneth Daso, disclosed this on Wednesday during an appearance on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels Television.
Daso said security operatives had taken control of the situation, adding that investigations into the attacks were ongoing.
He said, “Well, as of now, I would say in Borno State, normalcy has been restored.
“Joint security forces are currently undergoing security operations, and investigations are ongoing as the police are still probing the scene of the incidents.”
The coordinated blasts, believed to have been carried out by suspected suicide bombers, struck a busy market and other locations in Maiduguri.
The death toll from the attack was initially put at no fewer than 23 persons, while over 100 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
The explosions occurred on Monday evening at three locations, a major market, the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and a post office area.
Following the attacks, President Bola Tinubu directed security chiefs to immediately relocate to Maiduguri to oversee the situation.
“I want to make it categorically clear that these acts of terror are the final desperate and frantic attempts by criminals and terrorist elements trying to instil and spread fear,” the President said in a statement.
State governors across the country also condemned the incident, describing it as a senseless loss of lives.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, expressed sympathy with the people of Borno State.
“Our condolences and sympathies are with the people and government of Borno State on this sad development,” he said
He added that governors would continue to collaborate with the Federal Government to tackle insecurity.
The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, visited victims receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
The police chief also conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the affected areas and assured residents of efforts to dismantle terrorist networks behind the attack.
Some victims were reportedly caught in a second explosion near the post office area shortly after escaping the first blast.