Bomb Blasts Kill 55 in Northeast Nigerian City of Maiduguri

Another greeting card from the religion of peace.

At least 55 people were killed by three bomb blasts in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Sunday, according to a local hospital official.

The bombs that detonated at about 7:20 p.m. also injured 85 people, Tunde Sotanmi, the security chief of the State Specialist Hospital Maiduguri, told reporters in the city on Monday. Casualties may continue to rise, he said.

Nigerian army spokesman Colonel Sani Usman confirmed the attacks, though said details weren’t immediately clear. The explosives were detonated at a mosque, a dining area and an computer center, according to Hassan Ibrahim, a local pro-government militia member in the city.

“The attacks signify a high level of desperation on the part of the Boko Haram terrorists,” Usman said in a statement on Monday. “There is need for more vigilance, security consciousness and prompt reporting of suspicious persons or group of persons in their midst.”