5 killed in Nigeria attacks

Two police stations in Nigeria were bombed on Monday and a home belonging to the vice president came under fire from gunmen, leaving five dead.

Simultaneous bomb attacks in Sokoto killed a civilian and a police officer, and also left the two bombers dead, according to the Associated Press. One of the bombers attacked a compound containing a police station and regional police offices, and the other struck a police station about two miles away.

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Separately, police guarding a home belonging to Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo came under fire from gunmen in the city of Zaria, leaving one civilian dead, reported Agence France-Presse. No one was living at the house at the time, as it is undergoing repairs from damage inflicted after last year's election riots.

AFP also said that 30 people were injured in the suicide bombings, mostly around the market in the Yan Marina neighborhood. Yan Marina resident Usman Bube said the area was "engulfed in flames."

"There was a huge explosion about an hour ago at the police station that was followed by thick smoke," Bube told AFP. "It is so chaotic now, with people running to safety."

According to the AP, the attacks come as Nigeria faces an increasing threat from radical Islamist sect Boko Haram. A number of recent attacks targeting uniformed officers have also been blamed on the sect.