Fresh details have emerged on how three teenagers allegedly plotted to detonate explosives at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital in Borno State, concealing the devices in a food flask before being stopped by security operatives at the facility’s entrance.
Findings by Saturday PUNCH indicated that the suspects targeted the hospital’s main building in what could have resulted in a major tragedy involving patients, staff, and visitors.
The attack was, however, foiled at the gate, where the assailants were denied access, triggering explosions at the entrance on March 16.
No fewer than 23 persons were reportedly killed, while 108 others sustained varying degrees of injuries following the incident.
A security guard at the hospital, Ali Musa, recounted that the suspects, described as teenagers, attempted to evade security checks in order to gain entry into the premises with the concealed explosives.
He explained that the trio arrived at the hospital in a tricycle, commonly known as Keke Napep, carrying a food flask in a manner suggesting they were delivering meals to patients.
Musa said heightened vigilance had been adopted at the gate following reports of an earlier explosion at a nearby post office.
“We were already on alert due to the earlier blast, and security checks had been intensified. At the time, only two of us were on duty while others were on break,” he said.
He added that the suspects approached the gate at high speed, raising suspicion.
“Visitors are expected to slow down for checks, but they drove in recklessly. I stopped them and asked them to turn back.
Though they hesitated initially, they eventually reversed, but their behaviour appeared unusual,” he stated.
According to him, one of the suspects threw the flask towards him while the tricycle was reversing.
“I pushed it away with my foot, and moments later, there was a loud explosion. I immediately dropped to the ground, but I sustained injuries to my hand,” Musa said.
He further disclosed that in the aftermath of the blast, he found his colleague injured with a fractured leg, while another victim lay motionless nearby.
“As I tried to move her to safety, another explosion occurred close by, forcing me to take cover. I also sustained injuries to my legs,” he added.
A shop owner near the hospital, who spoke on condition of anonymity, corroborated the account, stating that the attackers appeared intent on causing significant damage within the hospital.
As of the time of filing this report, there was no official breakdown of casualties specifically linked to the hospital explosion.
Meanwhile, a separate explosion at the Monday Market later that evening, around 7:05 pm, was believed to have been carried out by another suspected suicide bomber using an explosive vest.
An eyewitness, identified simply as Fati, described the incident as horrifying, noting that she fled the scene immediately after hearing the blast.
She said reports later suggested that a young boy, believed to be the carrier of the explosive, was severely impacted by the detonation.
In response to the series of attacks, President Bola Tinubu directed the nation’s service chiefs to relocate to Borno State amid growing security concerns.
Subsequently, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, alongside the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, arrived in Maiduguri on Wednesday to assess the situation and coordinate security operations.