Suspected Jihadists Fire Rockets on Nigerian City

Hamilton Nwosa
Writer
Suspected Jihadists Fire Rockets on Nigerian City

Ad

Tinubu Departs Brazil for Nigeria After State Visit

By Abiola Olawale President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has concluded a three-day state visit to Brazil, departing the country for Abuja on Wednesday, August 27, 2025. The New Diplomat reports that the presidential jet took off from Brasília International Airport Air Force Base, with a ceremonial send-off attended by Brazil’s Secretary for Africa and the Middle…

President’s son jailed 6 years in fraud case as power tussle soars in Equatorial Guinea

• Two brothers at war over who succeeds Nguema Mbasogo By Obinna Uballa An Equatorial Guinea court has sentenced Ruslan Obiang Nsue, son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, to six years in prison for illegally selling a plane belonging to the state airline, Ceiba Intercontinental, a case analysts say reflects growing rivalry within the…

Details: Why Roosevelt Ogbonna Quit Access HoldCo board

• He remains Bank MD, Says Access By Obinna Uballa Access Holdings Plc has explained that Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, resigned from the Board of the HoldCo to comply with regulatory guidelines issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). The company, in a statement signed…

Ad

Suspected jihadists fired two rockets on the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Saturday, hitting two homes near the airport and an air force base, without causing casualties, residents said.

The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and rival Boko Haram group have previously launched deadly rocket attacks on the capital of Borno state, home to about three million people.

The rockets, fired from an unknown location at 0500 GMT, fell on houses in a residential area near the Gomari Airport neighbourhood, which is close to a Nigerian Air Force base, two residents told AFP when reached by telephone.

“I was inside when I heard the first explosion and I instinctively looked out the door to see what was happening,” said resident Idris Muhammad.

“Shortly after a second rocket flew over my house before hitting the second house at Gomari,” he said.

“No one was hurt in both houses as the rockets fell on vacant parts of the houses.”

Kyari Ali, who lives in a street where the house was hit by the second rocket in the Gomari Airport neighbourhood, said it destroyed a section of the house.

“Luckily, there was no one in the affected part when the rocket landed,” said Ali who visited the house.

Security officials were yet to comment on the incident.

Residents said they suspected the attack was carried out by ISWAP which has consolidated its influence since the death in May of Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau.

The early morning attack happened a day after seven soldiers were killed by ISWAP jihadists near a base in Rann, close to the Cameroonian border.

In February, at least 17 people were killed and 43 others injured when ISWAP fighters fired multiple rockets on the city.

Jihadists have also blown up electricity towers on several occasions, plunging the city into darkness for months.

On February 23, 2019, a soldier was killed and 20 others wounded when Boko Haram launched 13 rocket attacks on Maiduguri hours before voting began in Nigeria’s presidential election.

Over 40,000 people have been killed since the insurgency began 12 years ago and more than two million are displaced from their homes.

Ad

X whatsapp