“They Went to Prepare for Sallah, But Never Returned”: Father Loses Four Sons in Maiduguri Bomb Blasts

A father’s joy ahead of Sallah has turned into unimaginable grief in Maiduguri after four of his sons were killed in a series of bomb explosions that rocked the city.

The attacks, which occurred near the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital gate, Monday Market roundabout and the Post Office area, left at least 27 people dead and many others injured.

For Ba Musa, a resident of Gwange Sabon Layi, the tragedy is deeply personal. His four sons had stepped out shortly after breaking their fast to buy eyeglasses for the Sallah celebration.

They had earlier received new clothes and shoes from their father  a simple preparation for the festive season that ended in disaster.

“They went to buy eyeglasses for Sallah… and that was the last time anyone saw them alive,” a neighbour, Usman Lawan, said as he recounted the heartbreaking loss. The children were later buried, leaving their family and community in mourning.

Lawan himself survived the explosion but lost his means of livelihood. “We had just finished Iftar when the blast happened. I found myself in the hospital. Everything I had is gone,” he said.

At the scene near the hospital, a security guard who sustained injuries narrated how the attackers struck. According to him, three men on a motorbike attempted to gain entry into the facility. When he refused, they returned and threw explosive devices at him.

“I noticed something suspicious and stopped them. They came back and threw a container at me. It exploded… as I tried to run, another one hit my leg,” he said.

Another victim, a grieving mother, lost her daughter in the blast. She described the painful moment her child died beside her. “We had just arrived at the hospital when the bomb went off. I fell, and my daughter fell lifeless… they told me she was gone,” she said.

Many petty traders were also caught in the explosions, losing both their goods and source of income. Some of the injured are receiving treatment at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and other medical facilities across the city.

Victims have appealed for urgent government assistance, saying recovery will be difficult without financial support. “In a few minutes, everything we worked for was destroyed,” one of the traders said from his hospital bed.

Reacting to the incident, the Arewa Consultative Forum called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s security strategy, warning that the country risks deeper instability if decisive action is not taken.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who visited victims at the hospital, condemned the attack, describing it as barbaric and unjustifiable.

He assured affected families of government support and reiterated the administration’s resolve to end terrorism.