News: Maiduguri hit with multiple bomb blasts by Boko Haram attack

Boko Haram fighters on Sunday launched a fresh attempt
to take over the strategically crucial northeastern Nigerian
city of Maiduguri, a brazen attack on a state capital just two
weeks before national elections.
Four residents told AFP that Sunday’s fighting began at
roughly 3:00 am (0200 GMT) with loud explosions and
gunfire, as the militants tried to enter the city from the
south.
Troops backed by vigilantes have been battling the
assailants for several hours, with the fighting at 9:00 am
concentrated in the Mulai area just three kilometres (two
miles) south of the city, several witnesses said.
“The whole city is in fear,” said resident Adam Krenuwa.
“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.
The city’s fall would also likely spark a humanitarian
disaster.
Maiduguri’s population is believed to have swelled above
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,” Krenuwa told AFP by
telephone.
– Opposition stronghold –
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 northeast 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 northeast.
Foreign observers have said that will not even attempt to
monitor polling in the region because of the unrest.
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 those promises have consistently proved hollow, with
the violence having escalated each year under his watch.
(AFP) CLICK HERE TO READ FULL AND TOUCHING NIGERIAN CELEBRITIES BIOGRAPHY AND SCANDALS

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