Updated
An assault by Boko Haram aimed at taking over the key north eastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri has been repelled, the military has said, roughly 12 hours after fighting began.
"The terrorists' attack on Maiduguri in the early hours of Sunday was quickly contained. The terrorists incurred massive casualty," defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a text message.
"The situation is calm as mopping up operation in the affected area is ongoing."
Boko Haram fighters launched a fresh attempt to take over the Borno state capital at roughly 3:00am Sunday (local time) with loud explosions and gunfire, as the militants tried to enter the city from the south.
Meanwhile, a suicide bomber has blown himself up outside the house of a legislator in the north-eastern town of Potiskum, three hours west of Maiduguri, killing 10 people, two security sources told news agency Reuters.
The bomber walked up to the house of Sabo Garbu, a member of the house of representatives in the federal government, before detonating the explosives.
In Maiduguri, troops backed by vigilantes had been battling the Boko Haram assailants for several hours with the fighting concentrated in the Mulai area just three kilometres south of the city, several witnesses said.
"The whole city is in fear," resident Adam Krenuwa said.
"People are afraid of what will happen if Boko Haram defeats the security forces."
The Islamist rebels tried to capture Maiduguri just a week ago, but were repelled by troops.
The military was not immediately available to comment on the latest raid.
Losing control of Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, would be an enormous defeat for the security forces, whose handling of the six-year Islamist uprising has been fiercely criticised.
Maiduguri's population is believed to have swelled to more than two million in recent weeks as residents from other parts of Borno have been forced to flee to the city to seek refuge from Boko Haram violence.
Resident Fannami Dalwaye said people could be seen fleeing towards the city from Mulai as more vigilantes were headed south to the frontline to reinforce the military.
"Some of us are in mosques praying, just waiting to hear the outcome of what happens," Mr Krenuwa told AFP by telephone.
Militant attacks put elections in jeopardy
Nigeria's national security advisor Sambo Dasuki last month called for elections to be postponed.
He cited difficulties in distributing voter identity cards, but experts have questioned how Nigeria can hold legitimate national elections when significant parts of the country are controlled by Islamist rebels.
Boko Haram is believed to control at least half of Borno state, as well as several areas in neighbouring Adamawa and Yobe.
The north-east is an opposition stronghold and there are fears that the credibility of the polls could be challenged if millions of voters are disenfranchised, especially if the final tally is close.
The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected any postponement of the vote, describing it as a stalling tactic by the ruling party which is fearing defeat after 16 years in power.
But even before the latest assault on Maiduguri, election officials conceded that voting would be impossible across much of the north-east.
President Goodluck Jonathan, who is facing a tough challenge from former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, has repeatedly sought to assure Nigerians that Boko Haram could be contained but the violence has escalated each year under his watch.
AFP/Reuters
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, terrorism, islam, nigeria
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