Gov. Nasir el-Rufai urged citizens to avoid crowded public places including mosques and churches as the militants widen and accelerate the pace of attacks that have killed some 300 people in a week. Boko Haram may be responding to an Islamic State group order to commit more mayhem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
The blast targeted government headquarters in the historic Muslim town as civil servants assembled to welcome a new chairman, El-Rufai said in an email to The Associated Press.
