Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram has captured the key north-eastern town of Michika, gaining more territory in its efforts to create an Islamic state, BBC reports.
Residents say people fled into bushes as gunfire rang out in the town, they added.
Boko Haram has changed tactics in recent months by holding on to territory rather than launching hit-and-run attacks.
Michika is a trading centre in Adamawa state not far from the Cameroon border.
Last month, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.
Concern is mounting that the group plans to target Maiduguri, capital of neighbouring Borno state, says the BBC Hausa Service's Bilikisu Babangida.
Thousands of people who have fled towns and villages captured by Boko Haram are taking refuge in the city, which has a population of about two million.
The fall of Michika will add to the fear and panic that has gripped the north-east, as it shows Boko Haram is gaining territory not only in their heartland of Borno but also in Adamawa state, our reporter says.
Residents say people fled into bushes as gunfire rang out in the town, they added.
Boko Haram has changed tactics in recent months by holding on to territory rather than launching hit-and-run attacks.
Michika is a trading centre in Adamawa state not far from the Cameroon border.
Last month, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic state in areas it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.
Concern is mounting that the group plans to target Maiduguri, capital of neighbouring Borno state, says the BBC Hausa Service's Bilikisu Babangida.
Thousands of people who have fled towns and villages captured by Boko Haram are taking refuge in the city, which has a population of about two million.
The fall of Michika will add to the fear and panic that has gripped the north-east, as it shows Boko Haram is gaining territory not only in their heartland of Borno but also in Adamawa state, our reporter says.
Thousands of extra soldiers have failed to quell the five-year insurgency
Amid fears that Boko Haram could advance further into Adamawa, the university in Mubi town has shut, she says.
On Thursday, the militants captured the small town of Gulak after earlier seizing Madagali, which borders Adamawa and Borno states.
Residents say that Boko Haram fighters entered Michika on Sunday in a convoy of vehicles.
A military jet circled over the town, causing the militants to hide in people's homes, they said.
There was confusion as people ran into the bush fleeing gunfire, residents added.
It was unclear who opened fire as the insurgents often wear uniforms similar to the Nigerian soldiers, they said.
In April, the militants captured more than 200 girls from a boarding school in the town of Chibok, also in Borno state, and till date the girls are yet to be rescued.
Boko haram is threatening the existence of the Nigerian state yet, our leaders seem to be more concerned about getting re-elected than any thing else. Only in Nigeria.
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