Fear gripped residents of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, in the early hours of Thursday following a series of explosions at the Giwa Military Barracks.
The blasts, which reportedly began around 12:05 a.m., shook nearby neighborhoods and lit up the night sky with red flares, forcing many residents to evacuate their homes in alarm.
Though the source of the explosions was not immediately confirmed, witnesses said they appeared to originate from the barracks’ armoury section.
One of the residents, Rakiya Garba, said fire trucks were seen racing toward the scene as emergency sirens echoed across the area.
“We’re safe for now, but people are scared. The explosions are clearly coming from inside the barracks. It doesn’t seem like an external attack since there are no gunshots, just repeated loud blasts,” she said.
In response to the incident, Borno State Deputy Governor, Dr. Umar Kadafur, assured the public that the explosions were the result of a fire outbreak within the barracks’ armoury and not linked to any insurgent attack.
He urged the public to disregard speculations of a Boko Haram assault and advised residents to stay indoors while security forces work to bring the situation under control.
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