Suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers have struck the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri, killing at least nine civilians, as the same armed group was also blamed for the death of eight soldiers in fierce fighting in neighbouring Chad.

The multiple attacks Maiduguri also left 13 wounded, police told the Reuters news agency on Monday, the latest in a spate of attacks in the region.

No group has officially claimed responsibility for the blasts in Maiduguri, but the use of suicide bombers in the region is a hallmark of Boko Haram.

Borno police said a male suicide bomber killed a security guard after entering the University of Maiduguri, near the city centre at 2120 GMT on Sunday.

Four female suicide bombers then killed eight people around an hour later on the outskirts of the city in Zannari community, after detonating devices in residential buildings.

Two female suicide bombers were the only people to die in two blasts at the University of Maiduguri on Monday morning at around 03:20 GMT.

"In all, 16 persons including the suicide bombers died in the multiple explosions while 13 persons were injured,” said the Borno Police commissioner, Damian Chukwu.

A number of suicide bomb attacks by suspected members of Boko Haram has taken place in the capital of Borno state and its neighbouring areas in the last few weeks, including blasts that killed 12 people on June 19 and a June 7 raid which left 14 dead.

Agencies