TheCable

Members of the Boko Haram Islamist sect are currently attacking Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, TheCable has been informed.

According to a senior security source who spoke with TheCable on phone, soldiers are trying to repel the insurgents, who have been bombarding the town with gunshots and improvised explosive devices.

This is the first major Boko Haram attack in at least two months, following sustained and fruitful military activity in the north-east, particularly in Sambisa – the sect’s widely-acknowledged stronghold.

Even the last minor attack happened three weeks ago, in Potiskum, one of the largest towns in Yobe state, where suspected insurgents targeted a bomb at a mosque during the 2:00 clock prayer, injuring three people.

Five days ago, though, the Nigeria police said it foiled a suicide bomb attack at a school in the same town, at about 8:15am, when three suspected suicide bombers entered the College of Arts and Business Studies. According to the police, one of the attackers blew self up and died on the spot, while six people sustained injuries.