Maiduguri Bombings Highlight Increasing Threats to Nigerian Citizens, Reports HRW

In a call to action, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is pressuring Nigerian officials to prioritize civilian safety in high-risk areas and to improve early warning systems in response to the tragic bombings that recently shook Maiduguri.

The deadly attacks on March 16, 2026, targeted bustling public spaces—including a market, a post office, and the entrance to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital—resulting in the loss of 23 lives and leaving 108 others injured. HRW highlighted that the indiscriminate nature of these bombings qualifies as a war crime under international law.

“The bombings in Maiduguri expose the grave and ongoing threats that civilians face from armed groups in northeastern Nigeria,” stated Anietie Ewang, a Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch. Ewang emphasized that the resurgence of such violence is profoundly disturbing and “underscores the lasting peril that armed groups present to daily life.”