Blasts heard in Maiduguri, northeast of Nigeria, before polls open
Multiple blasts were heard at about
But the city is the birthplace of Boko Haram Islamists and has been repeatedly attacked during their nearly 10-year insurgency that has devastated the remote region.
Polls open at 0700 GMT, with President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army general who has vowed to defeat the jihadists, seeking a second term.
Boko Haram has warned it will disrupt the elections.
One resident in the Gomari neighborhood of Maiduguri said: “I heard several explosions coming from the Bulumkutu area this morning but it’s unclear what is happening.
“There have been suspicions that it was an attack by Boko Haram but we don’t know yet.”
He added: “Late yesterday (Friday), some gunmen went into the house of a man in Gomari and shot him dead. We still don’t know the motive.”
Two other residents gave a similar account.
The early morning explosions in Maiduguri come after a Boko Haram attack late on Friday on Zabarmari village, some 10 kilometers outside Maiduguri.
The attack forced residents to flee into the city.
