Nigeria Army Repels Boko Haram as new President Starts Term.

Nigeria's military on Saturday repelled a Boko Haram attack on the key northeastern city of Maiduguri, a day after President Muhammadu Buhari took office vowing to crush the group, witnesses and security sources said.

The overnight attack on the Borno state capital saw rocket-propelled grenades fired into homes in a bombardment that reportedly lasted several hours.

In his inaugural speech after taking the oath of office on Friday, Buhari announced plans to reinforce Maiduguri with a new command and control centre to better coordinate the counter-insurgency effort.

Shortly after midnight (2300 GMT Friday), residents in the Dala suburb south of Maiduguri woke to the sound of RPGs being fired in succession, resident Modu Karumi said, in an account supported by several others.

Buhari in his inaugural address on Friday vowed to intensify the fight against Boko Haram, notably by shifting operational command from the capital Abuja to Maiduguri.

His predecessor Goodluck Jonathan's performance against the militants was heavily criticised, with the conflict killing more than 15,000 people since 2009 and forcing another 1.5 million from their homes.

Buhari, a former army general, insists the uprising can be defeated and has placed the Boko Haram effort at the top of his administration's agenda.