By Achile Danjuma
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Lagos to brief President Bola Tinubu on the outcome of his assessment visit to Maiduguri, Borno State, following last week’s deadly suicide bombings.
The coordinated attacks, which occurred on Monday, claimed at least 23 lives and left more than 100 others injured. Shettima had traveled to the region at the president’s behest to engage with affected families and assess the situation on the ground.
In a statement shared via his verified X account on Sunday, the Vice President confirmed the purpose of his visit to the president. “The Vice President will brief the President on the outcome of his visit to Maiduguri to see families and communities affected by the tragic incidents in Borno State, as well as his on-the-spot assessment of the situation on the ground,” the post read. It added that Shettima would later join serving governors to pay Sallah homage to the president.
The bombings occurred around 7:02 p.m. on Monday, with suicide bombers striking almost simultaneously at three locations: the popular Maiduguri Monday Market, the Post Office Flyover area, and the security post at the entrance of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Police authorities confirmed 23 fatalities and reported that 108 individuals sustained injuries of varying degrees.
During his visit to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital on Wednesday, where many of the injured are receiving treatment, Shettima condemned the attacks as “barbaric” and emphasized that no cause—whether religious or otherwise—could justify the killing of innocent civilians.
He assured victims and their families of full federal government support through the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the North East Development Commission (NEDC), and the Borno State Government. “We will not rest on our laurels until full peace and sanity is restored in Borno, the Northeast, and the nation as a whole,” Shettima declared, vowing that those responsible for the attacks would be “decisively confronted.”