Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, has come under attack from insurgents believed to be members of the extremist Boko Haram sect, residents have told
Two thunderous explosions, suspected to be from detonated bombs, were heard in the city at about 6:15 p.m. The blast occurred at an area called Ngomari area of the capital.
Yahaya Adamu, a mechanic living in the area, told PREMIUM TIMES on telephone that:
“There is heavy dust and smoke everywhere
now, and I am running home now to see if
my family are safe”. It cannot be ascertained immediately if the blast.was targeted at civilians. No one could also say if there are casualties yet.
The spokesperson of the state police command,
Gideon Jubril, could not be reached to comment
for this story. His telephone was switched off
when our reporter called. PREMIUM TIMES reporter however observed that the blasts have triggered panic in the city with residents seen rushing to their respective homes for safety.
The Boko Haram sect has in the past months
intensified attacks on the northeast states of
Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, which are under
emergency rule. It has been attacking security and military installations, including barracks and airbases at will. It has also been pummeling
schools, towns and villages unchallenged and
ransacking highways.
This week, it slaughtered more than 29 pupils at a government boarding school in Yobe. As the litany of atrocities lengthened, President
Goodluck Jonathan claimed the Nigerian
government is winning the war against the
insurgency.
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