Suspected Boko Haram extremists struck two state capitals in north-eastern Nigeria yesterday, with twin blasts at a crowded market and the destruction of a police base.

Rescue workers tried to evacuate unknown numbers of dead and wounded from the Maiduguri market, the provincial capital of Borno state.

It was the same market where two female suicide bombers killed at least 70 people a week ago.

“I can’t say how many were killed or injured but I have seen very many victims dripping with blood, others with parts of their bodies dismembered by the blasts,” said trader Bala Dauda.

Fellow witness Mallam Muhammadu said the bomb attacks had been carried out by “two girls.”

Explosions and gunfire also erupted before dawn in Damaturu, the provincial capital of Yobe state 85 miles west of Maiduguri, causing some residents to flee into the bush and others to cower in their homes.

The extremists targeted a rapid-response police base on the outskirts of Damaturu, said resident Garba Musa.

“It has been burned down completely,” he said.

The Defence Ministry headquarters said that a fighter jet was repelling the attackers. A helicopter gunship was hovering over the town.

Civil servant Abdullahi Abba said his family was hiding in the bush, adding: “We’ve been hearing these gunshots and bombs since the early hours and felt unsafe staying at home.”

Resident Musa Abbas said: “We don’t know where to hide, the shooting is all over ... We are running for our lives.”