A loud explosion rocked the troubled North
Eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri on
Sunday. Residents of the area in which it
occurred, Bulabulin Ngarnam, say it was an
attack on a military patrol vehicle.
It has not been ascertained if there were
deaths or injuries linked to the explosion
which some residents described as "the
loudest heard so far in the city".
"Nobody knows the extent of the damage
because the area has been cordoned off by
soldiers," said Hammadi Yakubu, a resident.
Another resident, Bunu Zarabe, said he saw
an ambulance speeding out of the area with
a military van behind it.
Residents in the neighbourhood have
begun fleeing the area, out of fears of a
military raid in response to the blasts.
Soldiers have, in the past, been accused of
rampaging though neighbourhoods after
such explosions, killing residents, burning
homes and claiming locals cooperated with
the Boko Haram sect.
Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, has been
hit by series of attacks blamed on Boko
Haram, an Islamist sect which claimed
responsibility for the bombing of the United
Nations headquarters in Abuja that killed at
least 24 people.
Earlier this month, the military in Borno
State said criminals were hiding "under the
pretence of Boko Haram to commit crimes"
in the state, and set a deadline of October
31 for residents to turn in all illegal
weapons and explosives in their
possession.
"Those who refuse to surrender their arms
would face consequences after the
expiration of the deadline," the Military's
statement read.
Police and Military officials could not be
reached for comments on the new
explosion.
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