Five worshippers were reported killed and 35 others injured yesterday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives at Gamboru Juma’at Mosque in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.
Officials of the mosque said the building has the capacity to accommodate between 50 and 60 people, and that the explosion killed many worshippers inside.
Speaking to Daily Trust, an official of the mosque, who declined to be named, said, “On a day like this, the mosque is usually very crowded because of market activities, and it was least expected.”
The development came at a time when there is increased security in major cities in Nigeria ahead of the Christmas celebration.
How the mosque attack happened – Survivors
Survivors said the attackers sneaked into the mosque and detonated the bomb during the Maghrib congregational prayer.
One of them narrated: “The bomber detonated the explosives during the first raka’at of the Maghrib prayer. Many worshippers died, while others sustained injuries”.
Victims were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and the Borno State Specialist Hospital for treatment.
One of the injured victims at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Hussaini Jidda, said he was standing on the last row during the prayer and he saw the bomber enter the mosque before the explosion.
“I noticed him when he came in. He looked unkempt and suspicious, but before anyone could react, the bomb went off. I struggled to stand on the other leg but I couldn’t. Some of us were rescued and brought here, but many people didn’t make it,” he said.
A relative of one of the victims, Muhammad Yunus, said his stepfather initially survived the blast but later died at the hospital.
“He was brought to the hospital alive. The doctors tried their best, and we thank them, but we accept it as the will of God,” he said.
Relatives at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital said they had counted at least seven fatalities, though the full casualty figure was still unclear.
“From the mosque to this hospital, we have seen seven bodies so far. We don’t know how many more are at the specialist hospital,” one of the relatives said.
The Head of Operations of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for Borno and Yobe states, Surajo Garba, told our correspondent that his team responded immediately after receiving the distress call.
“At the scene in Gamboru market, we joined other partners that included SEMA, the police, the military and the civilian JTF.
“After the scanning around the mosques, we went into action. We recovered three bodies from the mosques. And out of those that were injured here at the specialist hospital, 21 of them, we lost one person.
“All together, we have four bodies and 21 that have been injured at the specialist hospital’s emergency ward. Equally, there are some of the injured persons in the teaching hospital currently receiving their treatment,” he said.
He said the situation was calm, and security agencies remained deployed at the scene.
When asked whether it was a suicide attack as claimed by survivors, he said: “We believed that investigations are still ongoing, but based on the report we received, it was a suicide attack from a young boy who came in with the explosives.”
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Police confirms 5 dead, 35 injured
The Borno State Police Command confirmed five persons killed and 35 others injured in the bomb blast.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Nahum Daso, told reporters that the suspected bomber detonated an IED at 6:15 p.m. during congregational prayers around Gamboru area.
The PPRO said five persons died on the spot; while 35 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
He said the injured victims were immediately evacuated to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital for medical attention.
He said operatives of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit and other security agencies were deployed to secure the area, conduct checks and ensure that no secondary devices were planted.
Daso also stated that the area was cordoned off as security agencies commenced investigation into the incident.
Zulum urges heightened security in worship places
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dauda Iliya, condemned the incident and called for increased vigilance and heightened security measures, particularly in places of worship during the festive period.
“I am deeply saddened by the Gamboru mosque suicide attack which occurred on Wednesday evening when worshippers were performing Maghrib prayer, killing 5 people and injuring 35 others. The act is utterly condemnable, barbaric and inhumane,” Zulum said.
According to the governor, “Attacking a place of worship is a desecration of the sanctity of the mosque at a time when Muslim faithful are performing acts of worship.
“I wish to express my condolences to the families of all those that lost their lives in the attack and pray for the repose of their souls, and for the speedy recovery of those injured.”
Zulum said adequate measures had been taken to forestall any security breach during the festive period and beyond.
Concrete, actionable security strategies needed – PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, described the incident as “one too many.
It called on the federal and state governments to take immediate and practical steps to protect our citizens throughout this yuletide season and beyond.
It stated: Nigerians deserve more than empty promises and political rhetoric. We need concrete, actionable security strategies deployed on the ground. This escalating insecurity has become unbearable and must be confronted with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.”
According to the opposition party, the Maiduguri attack “is another sad reminder of the rising insecurity that has become the unfortunate contemporary reality that Nigerians face.”
It asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to rise to the occasion rather than resort to rhetoric and playing politics with security.”
The latest suicide bombing in Maiduguri occurred after that of March 16, 2016, when two female suicide bombers, suspected to be members of Boko Haram, reportedly killed 22 worshippers at the Molai-Umarari mosque on the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Also, on Thursday, December 18, 2025, suspected Boko Haram terrorists used an attack-drone carrying explosives that were detonated at a security location in Dalwa area, on the outskirts of the state capital, during which five forest guards and three soldiers were wounded.
