Boko Haram attacks Nigerian city, 7 killed

Rocket-propelled grenades exploded into several home, killing at least seven peoples in the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri before dawn on Saturday as Boko Haram unleashed a new kind of violence in the birthplace of the extremist group, said residents.

Maiduguri resident Mari Madu said he counted at least 40 thunderous blasts that began around 1 a.m. before he lost count. “Each time they fired into the town, we saw bright sparkling flashes which moved with great speed ... One of the blasts shook my roof so badly that I thought it must have landed on my house,” he said. Several homes were destroyed in Maiduguri’s Dala-<g data-gr-id="14">Lawanti</g> suburb, he said.

Self-defense fighter Abbas <g data-gr-id="15">Gava</g> said at least seven people were killed and more injured when one grenade exploded into a house divided into apartments. An intelligence officer confirmed the toll and said Boko Haram was firing rocket-propelled grenades. The officer, who insisted on anonymity because he is not supposed to give information to journalists, said soldiers fired heavy assault rifles in response.