(Reuters) – A heavy explosion followed by bursts of sporadic gunfire hit  Maiduguri, Wednesday, where a militant Islamist sect, Boko Haram has been waging a campaign of violence.

The blast, which appeared to come from the centre of the town, shattered windows in surrounding neighbourhoods shortly after 7 am (0600 GMT) and was followed by sporadic bursts of automatic gunfire, a Reuters witness and local residents said.

File photo: The Police hqtrs’ bomb blast

“People ran out to see where this thing had happened. There were huge plumes of smoke which seemed to be coming from the Abbaganaram neighbourhood,” one of the witnesses said.

Source: Reuters