Nigeria's Boko Haram reveals rocket- making factory

Islamist militant group Boko Haram has released
photos apparently showing a rocket-making
factory in north-eastern Nigeria.

The group has used rocket-propelled grenades in
the past and many Nigerians have been asking
where the weapons have been coming from.

The photos seem to indicate that members of
the group have the technical know-how to
manufacture weapons.

The pictures are believed to have been taken in
a college in Borno state.

They were sent as a Whatsapp messages to the
BBC Hausa service using a telephone number
from Cameroon, and have also been published on
sites linked to so-called Islamic State, which
Boko Haram has joined.
Analysts say it looks as though the machinery is
from Bama, a town in north-eastern Nigeria
recently recaptured from Boko Haram.

An inscription on one of the machines shows the
abbreviation of Government Technical College
Bama (GTCB).

The equipment appears to have been donated to
the college by the Educational Trust Fund (ETF)
in 2005.

It is not clear when the pictures were taken, or
whether the equipment has been moved from
Bama.

The army has recaptured most of the towns
previously under Boko Haram control but the
group still carries out frequent attacks, especially
in Borno State, where Bama is located.