Three bomb explosions went off on Friday, March 14, 2014 in the city of Maiduguri in Borno State.
Eye witnesses say that hundreds of militants have staged a multi-pronged attack on Maiduguri. On entering the city, the attackers split into smaller groups – heading for the barracks, the university and an area where civil servants live.
Many have been displaced as the city is in serious panic. Parents are rushing to pick their wards from school
“They set many houses on fire and killed innocent people,” one resident told a local newspaper.
Local residents say there was a heavy exchange of fire near Giwa barracks, as the military tried to fight off the insurgents. Air force jets were seen flying over the city following the dawn attack.
“There is thick smoke billowing. The assailants are hurling explosives into Giwa barracks and the multitude of soldiers inside the barracks are firing back,” local resident Hamisu Musa told the Daily Trust newspaper.
Punch reports that suspected insurgents dressed in Army uniforms have laid siege on the Army barracks command located at the GRA area of Borno State, in an attempt to bomb and take over the major military base known as “Giwa Barracks” in Maiduguri, where members of the sect have been detained by the military.
The town is reportedly in turmoil as there is heavy fighting between soldiers and Boko Haram fighters for the control of the capital city.
Heavy shooting between men of the Joint Military Task Force and heavily armed militants, sending panic across Maiduguri.
