Boko Harm has been reported to have “completely surrounded” Maiduguri, the main city in north-eastern Borno state, according to Traditional Rulers.

They add that, “the military needed to protect the city, which had a population of more than two million, to prevent an assault “from all directions”. The Boko Haram militants had “annexed” areas that were about 50km (30 miles) from Maiduguri, they said.