Nigerian soldiers on Wednesday repelled an attack by Boko Haram jihadists on the northeast city of Maiduguri, security sources and residents said this.
The attack, the latest in a wave of assaults by Islamist gunmen, was repulsed hours before President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn into office for a second term in power.
Soldiers intercepted a “huge number” of fighters from Boko Haram on the outskirts of Maiduguri on Tuesday night, beginning a night-long battle that continued until close to dawn on Wednesday.
Troops fought all night, and “forced them to withdraw by dawn,” the source said.
A member of a self-defence militia, that fights alongside regular troops, said Boko Haram forces were spotted as they moved towards the city in the dark.
Boko Haram militants have launched several failed attempts to overrun Maiduguri.
Their decade-long campaign of violence has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions across the region.
