Militants from Boko Haram have “completely surrounded” the city of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state in the northeast of Nigeria, reported the BBC.
The Borno Elders Forum said in a statement, the Nigerian army had to “ urgently fortify” Maiduguri, adding that “insurgents have surrounded Maiduguri and are nursing the ambition of attacking the city from all directions".
"We are convinced that the Federal Government of Nigeria has not shown sufficient political will to fight Boko Haram and rescue us from the clutches of the insurgents which may ultimately lead to the total annihilation of the inhabitants of Borno," BEF said.
"The insurgents have rendered impassable almost all the roads leading to Maiduguri," it added.
Boko Haram control vast areas in the state and declared the establishment of a caliphate in August.