Explosions and gunfire have rocked the north Nigerian city of Damaturu, in a suspected Boko Haram attack that targeted police officers.
A source confirmed to Al Jazeera that gunmen believed to be Boko Haram fighters attacked the Yobe state University, in Damaturu, early on Monday morning. The fighters came from the bush and opened fire.
The military has engaged them and gunshots are still being heard by 08:00 GMT around Damaturu, though it is largely believed that the gunfire now moved away from the university and into the bush as Nigerian troops chase after the fighters.
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Some students and university staff fled to the bush and were still holed up in there. Residents of the city were largely remaining indoors as the gunfire continued and as the military deployed around the area.
It was not immediately clear if there were casualties.
“We have left our homes. We are now in the bush. We don’t know what’s going to happen,” local man Umar Sada, who said a police barracks had been destroyed, told the AFP news agency.
The Defense Ministry headquarters said a fighter jet was repelling the attackers. A helicopter gunship was hovering over the site.
Monday’s attack comes a day after scores of people were reportedly killed after suspected Boko Haram fighters, who arrived on motorcycles throwing bombs, raided Shani town in Nigeria’s northeast Borno state.
Unpatriotic Nigerians will continue to base their comment on ethnicity, shameless people of the country, are these people bin bombed not human beings like you? I wonder why many Nigerias are so selfish. Why can’t Jonathan just resign if he doesnt know how to administer a country, he has bin a failure since the first day which he failed to accept and Mr Jonathan your primary assignment as president is to ensure security of all citizens! If you cannot do it pls resign honorably & let somebody do it!