EXPLOSIONS IN MAIDUGURI: MULTIPLE FEARED DEAD

Three blasts struck the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, a military spokesman said.

“A van loaded with charcoal and IED [improvised explosive device] exploded at Monday Market in Maiduguri this morning. The location has been cordoned,” the defence headquarters recorded on its Twitter account.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosions. However with the wave of the Boko Haram six-year insurgency in the country, Nigeria, there has been strong speculation and blame directed at the group.

In an audio recording released over the weekend, the voice on the tape said to be that of Boko Haram's leader, criticised Nigeria's military for saying it had recaptured villages that had fallen into the group's hands.

"They have lied about us saying that they have retaken our territories, taken weapons and driven us away," says the recording posted online on Saturday. "They are actually the ones whom we have driven away. They are all liars."

Suspected members of the group have killed around 800 people in Nigeria in a spate of bombings and shootings since President Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated as president on May 29, vowing to crush the militants.

Nigeria's army, aided by troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon, said it pushed Boko Haram out of most of that land earlier this year. Since then, Boko Haram has reverted to gorilla tactics, attacking public areas such as markets and mosques.

The authenticity of the audio message has not been verified.