Nigeria Extends Maiduguri Curfew By 2 Hours

The Nigerian military has extended by two hours a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Maiduguri, provincial capital of the northeastern Borno State.



"With effect, curfew hours imposed on Maiduguri metropolis and environs have been reviewed forward. It is now to last from 7: 00pm to 6: 00am," army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement.



"All must comply with this directive. Anyone found flouting this directive will be arrested and prosecuted," he warned.



Maiduguri has long been under curfew.



Initially, there had been a 24-hour restriction at the height of Boko Haram's activities in the town. This was later revised to a 9pm-6am curfew.



Army sources linked the new curfew extension to clashes between troops and Boko Haram militants in Bama, a fishing and commercial town located about 58km south of Maiduguri.



"Military authorities are apparently trying to ensure they [Boko Haram militants] do not escape to Maiduguri as they flee Bama," Auwal Abdulkabir, a member of a local vigilante group, told Anadolu Agency in Maiduguri.



He suggested that the army had "successfully repelled their [the militants'] morning raid."



Defense spokesman Chris Olukolade has yet to respond to enquiries about the situation in Bama.



Earlier today, Nigerian troops were engaged in heavy fighting with Boko Haram militants in Bama.



"Soldiers are combating terrorists who invaded Bama early today; fighting is still ongoing," Danyabo Aminu, a fish merchant in the town, told AA by phone.



"The terrorists came in several Hilux buses and [with] heavy munitions, but the good thing is that there are many soldiers here," he said.



An air force officer has also confirmed the clashes.



"We have shelled many of them already, though there are minimal casualties on our side and the civilians too," he told AA, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.



He refrained from providing an exact death toll, "since our men are still battling them [the militants]."



Militants attempted to take Bama in 2013 and again in February of this year. Both attempts were thwarted by the army, however, leaving casualties on both sides.



Boko Haram has already overrun the towns of Gamboru Ngala, Dikwa and Gwoza, all in Borno; Buni Yadi in the neighboring Yobe State; and Madagali in Adamawa State.



The group's elusive leader, Abubakar Shekau, recently declared all territories under Boko Haram control to be part of an "Islamic caliphate" in northern Nigeria.



The Nigerian military, for its part, rejects the group's claims, insisting that no part of the country had – or would be – conceded to Boko Haram.



Since May of last year, the three northeastern states – Borno, Yobe and Adamawa – have all remained in a state of emergency imposed by the government with the stated aim of curbing the Boko Haram "menace."



By Olarewaju Kola



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Borno