Suspected fighters for the Islamist militant group Boko Haram attacked the city of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria on Wednesday, triggering loud bangs and explosions and causing civilians to flee, according to Reuters witnesses.
Maiduguri in Borno state is the epicenter of the eight-year fight against Boko Haram but has been largely free of violence for the past two years.
In December, President Muhammadu Buhari said Boko Haram had technically been defeated after the army pushed it into the remote Sambisa forest. However, attacks have continued since then, with suicide bombers hitting the outskirts of Maiduguri.
Much of Borno state remains off limits, although some towns have been recaptured and are now home to hundreds of thousands of refugees. Most of the roads connecting them are dangerous.
Soldiers and police were moving toward the area of Maiduguri where the suspected Boko Haram fighters attacked, the Reuters witnesses said.