Several videos of the incident on social media show flames and people residing near the barracks scampering for safety.

An explosion Wednesday night rocked Giwa Barracks, a popular military detention facility where many ex-Boko Haram fighters are believed to be held in Maiduguri, Borno State.

This comes amidst the resurgence of Boko Haram violence, which the state government recently decried.

Governor Babagana Zulum lamented that the Islamist terrorists were regrouping and threatening the fragile stability of the North-east region.

The explosion

Several videos of the incident posted on social media, capture flames in the sky and people residing near the barracks scampering for safety.

However, the police hav said the blast was caused by heat.

The spokesperson for the police in Borno, Nahum Daso, said the fire outbreak around 10:30 p.m affected some ammunitions which detonated.

"A combined security and fire-service response team arrived promptly on scene and successfully extinguished the fire. Preliminary investigations indicated that the unusually high ambient temperatures in Maiduguri at this time of year may have contributed to the outbreak.

"The command calls on all members of the public to remain calm and should not panic as the situation is now fully under control," the police spokesperson said.