Maiduguri, Nigeria - Authorities say suspected sect members have detonated a bomb near a checkpoint in Nigeria’s restive northeast.
Lt. Col. Hassan Mohammed says assailants from the Boko Haram sect set off a bomb Tuesday in the city of Maiduguri. He says there were no casualties.
An Associated Press reporter who was in the area said residents locked themselves indoors after soldiers started shooting in the air in search of the bomber.
Boko Haram is responsible for a rash of killings targeting security officers, local leaders and clerics. It is also blamed for a series of deadly blasts.
The government on Tuesday formed a committee in Abuja to find solutions to combat the threat posed by the Islamic militants who seek the strict implementation of Shariah law across the Muslim-dominated north.