By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

Support African Elements at patreon.com/africanelements and hear recent news in a single playlist. Additionally, you can gain early access to ad-free video content.

The city of Maiduguri stood as a symbol of hope for many years. People called it an oasis of calm in a region troubled by war. That peace shattered on Monday, March 16, 2026. Three suicide bombers attacked crowded areas, including a market and a hospital entrance. This coordinated strike killed at least 23 people and injured over 100 others. It is the deadliest attack the city has seen in years. The event has sparked a national crisis across Nigeria. It also forced a massive surge in security forces to the streets as the city mourns its dead.

This tragedy does not exist in a vacuum. It is the latest chapter in a story that began over twenty years ago. To understand the pain of the families in Borno State, one must look at the history behind the headlines. The violence is rooted in deep social issues and a long struggle for power. These events affect more than Nigeria. They resonate with the global Black community because they involve issues of historical exploitation and the fight for safety in ancestral homelands. The world watches as Nigeria tries to find a path back to stability.

Visualizing the impact of coordinated attacks over time (acleddata.com).

The crisis began in 2002 with a man named Mohammed Yusuf. He founded a group in Maiduguri known as Boko Haram. The official name of the group is Jama'at Ahl al-Sunna li al-Da'wa wa al-Jihad (britannica.com). In the beginning, this was a religious movement. Yusuf built a school and a mosque. He provided food and help to poor families. Many people followed him because they were tired of government corruption. They felt the state did not care about the poor in Northern Nigeria (wikipedia.org).

The name "Boko Haram" roughly means that Western education is forbidden. Yusuf taught that Western secularism caused the poverty and moral decay in the country. He believed that the only solution was to follow a strict version of Islamic law. This message was powerful in a place where many people felt left behind by the modern world. However, the movement stayed mostly peaceful for the first seven years. It was a clerical group that focused on social services and preaching rather than fighting (wikipedia.org).

Everything changed in July 2009. Clashes broke out between the group and the local police. The Nigerian military responded with a massive crackdown. During this time, security forces killed over 700 members of the group. The military captured Mohammed Yusuf alive and handed him over to the police (wikipedia.org). Within hours, his body was shown to the public. He had been shot multiple times while in custody. This act is a clear example of an extrajudicial execution. This means a person was killed by authorities without a trial or any legal process.

The death of Yusuf was a major mistake for the government. Instead of ending the movement, it radicalized the followers. They saw Yusuf as a martyr who died for his beliefs. The group went underground to plan their revenge. Abubakar Shekau took over as the new leader. Under his rule, the group became much more violent. They moved from preaching to scorched-earth warfare. They targeted government buildings, schools, and markets. This set the stage for a decade of war that has displaced millions of people (britannica.com, wikipedia.org).

The method used in the 2026 attack is a tactic the group adopted in 2011. The first major suicide bombing targeted the United Nations headquarters in Abuja (kaiptc.org). Since then, these attacks have become a terrifying hallmark of the conflict. The group uses suicide bombers to strike "soft targets." These are places like markets, parks, and hospitals where many civilians gather. These locations often have less security than military bases or government offices (adf-magazine.com).

By 2014, the world saw a disturbing trend. The group began using women and children as suicide bombers. Reports show that Boko Haram is the most prolific user of female suicide bombers in history. By 2018, nearly half of their missions involved women or children (kaiptc.org). Many of these individuals are not volunteers. They are often victims of human trafficking or kidnapping. Some are drugged or forced to carry out these missions through threats against their families. This tactic makes it very hard for security forces to identify threats at checkpoints (kaiptc.org).

Boko Haram Faction

ISIS-Affiliated

Over 200 fighters killed in internal clashes in late 2025 (acleddata.com).

The 2026 bombings happen during a time of intense fighting between different insurgent groups. After Abubakar Shekau died in 2021, the original Boko Haram group, known as JAS, split. A new group emerged called the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP. These two groups are now locked in a deadly turf war. Data from November 2025 shows that they killed hundreds of each other's fighters in the Lake Chad region (acleddata.com). They spend more time fighting each other than fighting the government.

ISWAP and JAS have very different ideologies. ISWAP tries to win over the local Muslim population. They provide some services and tax people instead of just robbing them. On the other hand, JAS is known for being extremely violent toward everyone who is not part of their group. Experts believe that the recent attacks in Maiduguri are acts of desperation by the JAS faction. They use these "soft target" attacks to show they are still powerful even as they lose ground to ISWAP (crisisgroup.org). This internal conflict makes the region even more dangerous for civilians.

The attackers chose their targets for a reason. The Monday Market is the economic heart of Maiduguri. It is the largest trade hub in the region (african-cities.org). When the market is attacked, it stops the flow of food and money. This keeps the city in a state of permanent fear. There is a chilling pattern here. In March 2015, a similar attack killed 58 people in the same locations. Attacking the city's economic center is a strategic move to destroy the resilience of the people (african-cities.org, unocha.org).

Timing is also a factor in these tragedies. The 2026 bombings occurred during the month of Ramadan. Specifically, they struck during Iftar, which is the meal where people break their daily fast at sunset. This is a time of high trust and community gathering. By attacking at this moment, the insurgents maximize the number of casualties. They also cause deep psychological trauma by violating a sacred time for families. This demonstrates that the state cannot protect its citizens during their most vulnerable moments (adf-magazine.com).

In response to the crisis, President Bola Tinubu ordered a security surge. The main military force in the region is called Operation Hadin Kai. This name means "cooperation" in the Hausa language. It replaced earlier operations with a focus on both combat and helping the community recover. The operation works with a local group called the Civilian Joint Task Force. These are ordinary citizens who help the military identify insurgents because they know the local people (adf-magazine.com).

While the military has reported some successes, its reputation is mixed. In late 2025, they killed over 400 terrorists (adf-magazine.com). However, many people still worry about their safety. Military surges often mean more checkpoints and restrictions on movement. For the average person, this can feel like living in a "virtual vise." There are also concerns about how the military treats civilians. In the past, there have been reports of people being held for weeks without charges during security sweeps (nupi.no). Balancing safety with civil liberties is a difficult task for any federalism based government.

Estimated 2.3 to 3.7 million people displaced in the Lake Chad Basin.

High Severity Level (unocha.org)

The violence has created one of the largest displacement crises in the world. As of 2026, millions of people have fled their homes. Many ended up in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps around Maiduguri. However, the government has recently tried to close these camps. They want people to go back to their "ancestral homes" to end the cycle of dependency on aid (unocha.org). The goal is to rebuild the local economy and restore a sense of normalcy.

The problem is that many of these areas are still not safe. When people return home, they often find their farms destroyed and insurgents still nearby. Some returnees face food shortages and must flee again. The recent lockdown in Maiduguri makes things worse. It stops the delivery of medicine and food to informal settlements on the edge of the city. For many families, the search for a safe place to live continues with no clear end in sight (unocha.org). This humanitarian challenge remains a major part of the national crisis.

The situation in Nigeria is a focus for international leaders as well. President Donald Trump is the current president of the United States. His administration has watched the security situation in West Africa closely. The United States often provides training and equipment to the Nigerian military. However, there is a constant debate about the best political strategy to use. Some leaders argue for more military force. Others believe that the government must address the underlying poverty and lack of education that helps groups like Boko Haram recruit members.

The events in Maiduguri show that military power alone cannot solve the problem. Even when the insurgents lose their conventional strength, they can still inflict mass casualties. The 23 lives lost on Monday are a reminder of the human cost of this twenty-four-year saga. The city of Maiduguri remains resilient, but its people are tired. They want a future where they can go to the market or a hospital without fear. The path to that future requires addressing the history of grievances and building a state that serves all its people fairly.

The coordinated suicide bombings in Maiduguri are more than just a headline. They are a sign of a conflict that refuses to go away. From the death of Mohammed Yusuf to the rise of ISWAP, the history of this region is full of missed opportunities for peace. The city mourns today, but the national crisis continues. It is a struggle for the soul of a nation. The resilience of the people in Borno State is strong. However, they need more than security surges. They need a lasting solution that brings justice and stability to the heart of Nigeria.

Darius Spearman is a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College, where he has been teaching for over 20 years. He is the founder of African Elements, a media platform dedicated to providing educational resources on the history and culture of the African diaspora. Through his work, Spearman aims to empower and educate by bringing historical context to contemporary issues affecting the Black community.