…Many feared dead, injured in Christmas Eve blast
By Jeremy Fregene
Fears of renewed festive-season violence heightened on Christmas Eve after an explosion ripped through a crowded mosque in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, just days after a United States–based humanitarian organisation warned of planned Christmas attacks across parts of Nigeria.
A number of worshippers are feared to have been killed and several others injured when the blast occurred at the Gamboru market area of Maiduguri during evening prayers. Eyewitnesses said the explosion happened while the mosque was filled with worshippers, triggering panic in the busy commercial district.
Although there has been no official confirmation of casualties, one report suggested that at least seven people may have lost their lives in the incident. Unverified videos circulating on social media showed scenes of confusion in the market area, with dust particles hanging in the air as residents gathered around the blast site.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. However, militant groups operating in the North-East have a history of targeting mosques, markets and other crowded public spaces using suicide bombers and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Maiduguri has for over a decade remained the epicentre of the insurgency led by Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The Boko Haram uprising, which began in 2009 with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Borno State, has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions. Despite sustained military operations, sporadic attacks against civilians have continued in parts of the North-East.
The Christmas Eve blast came barely days after a U.S.-based humanitarian organisation, Equipping the Persecuted, issued a grave warning that armed groups were planning coordinated attacks during the Christmas period in northern and Middle Belt regions of Nigeria.
The non-profit organisation, which provides support to persecuted Christians in Nigeria and other parts of the world, said it had received what it described as credible intelligence indicating plans for large-scale violence during the festivities.
Its founder, Judd Saul, speaking during an Emergency Summit on Crimes against Christians held at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, December 16, said armed groups were mobilising to attack rural communities on Christmas Day.
“They are gathering forces around the Plateau and Nasarawa border, along the Nasarawa-Benue border, and along the Nasarawa-Kaduna border. They are planning to hit on Christmas Day in Riyom, Bokkos, and Barkin Ladi,” Saul said.
According to the organisation, the alleged plots involve militants preparing for what it described as a “Christmas Day massacre,” targeting communities in areas such as Riyom, Bokkos, Kafanchan, and Agatu. The warning referenced Nigeria’s long history of sectarian violence, including the Christmas Eve attacks in Plateau State in December 2023, in which nearly 200 people were reportedly killed.
While the Nigerian Presidency has dismissed the U.S. group’s alert, questioning its motives and urging against the spread of panic, reports indicate that the Department of State Services (DSS) acknowledged awareness of the intelligence and said preventive security measures were being implemented.
The warning was also presented at a roundtable in Washington, D.C., attended by U.S. lawmakers and members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and reportedly communicated to U.S. authorities for onward briefing to the President.
As investigations into the Maiduguri mosque explosion continue, the incident has renewed anxiety over security during the festive season, particularly in regions long battered by insurgency and communal violence.