A yet unknown number of people were feared killed on Tuesday evening following heavy explosions and shooting as Boko Haram insurgents were repelled by soldiers in Maiduguri, the state capital of Borno State.
Sources say explosions were also heard in Mairi area, a student’s village near the University of Maiduguri.
Casualty figures could not be ascertained, but reports indicated the insurgents tried to launch an attack on the University through the military trenches behind the institution.
This is the first attack on Maiduguri town in a long time and this may not be unconnected with the sustained onslaught on insurgents in the Sambisa axis of the state.
Residents said the attack caused pandemonium around settlements like Mairi, Kaleri and Costain, sharing fences with the university.
A resident of Kaleri informed that explosions were being detonated within the area but could not tell if there were fatalities.
“People are just running in no direction. The explosions were coming from our area. What I cannot say is if people have died,” the source said.
