At least four people were killed Thursday (December 23) in the explosion of several rockets fired by suspected jihadists in northeast Nigeria on the day of President Muhammadu Buhari's visit, residents and emergency services said.
Read alsoCommunity conflict in central Nigeria: the death toll rises to 45
At around 10:00 a.m. GMT, at least five rockets were fired from an unknown location on Maiduguri, the large city in the northeast, a region plagued by a jihadist insurgency for 12 years. The capital of the state of Borno was preparing for the official visit of President Buhari, who arrived at around 12:00 GMT. The inhabitants blamed the attack on the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap), which is particularly rife in the region. "
We evacuated four bodies to hospital from a house hit by one of the rockets,
" an emergency services official said on condition of anonymity.
“
Several people were injured in the attacks in the three affected locations
,” added the official from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).
The projectiles hit the neighborhoods of Gomari, Bulunkutu and Ajillari-Kuros, said emergency services and residents.
“
Five rockets fell on the city this morning but it is too early to give details of the destruction and losses recorded,
” said Umar Ari, an anti-jihadist militiaman.
According to a resident, Abbagana Ahmad, one of the rockets hit a house in Gomari, near the air base where President Buhari was to land, killing a woman and her three children.
Read alsoNigeria: three dead in an attack in the oil south
Security agencies and officials did not immediately comment on the incident. In Maiduguri, Muhammadu Buhari is due to inaugurate several projects including an airlift and an educational center at the city's university. In the past, Iswap and its rival Boko Haram have launched deadly rocket attacks at Maiduguri during the jihadist insurgency that has claimed more than 40,000 lives and displaced nearly two million people.
In early December, the jihadists fired two rockets at the city, hitting two houses in Gomari and Bulunkutu, but this time without causing any casualties, according to residents.
In February, at least 17 people were killed and around 40 injured in a dawn rocket attack on Maiduguri by Iswap fighters.
Iswap consolidated its control in the northeast after the death of the Boko Haram leader in May in clashes between the two groups.