Blasts Kill 5 in Nigeria’s Maiduguri as President Mohamadu Buhari Visits

ABUJA, LELEMUKU.COM - Nigerian media report explosions went off in the northeastern city of Maiduguri Thursday just as President Mohamadu Buhari arrived for an official visit. Local media say five people have been killed.

Local reports say the five fatalities include a 16-year-old girl, while at least eight others were injured in the explosions. Buhari was unharmed.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Maiduguri residents say they suspect the Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

Initial reports say the attackers fired projectiles of some kind. Residents quoted by local news media say one bomb dropped on a mosque, and another hit near Maiduguri airport, where the president landed Thursday.

Nigerian authorities have yet to make a statement.

While in Borno state, Buhari is scheduled to commission projects at the University of Maiduguri and elsewhere in the city. For now, no one knows if the president's schedule was affected by the attack.

Nigeria has been battling the Boko Haram insurgency for 12 years, with Borno state as the epicenter of the fighting.(Timothy Obiezu|VOA)