MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, March 18 (Xinhua) — Nigeria’s Boko Haram sect on Monday attacked three public schools in the restive northern city of Maiduguri, where four people were killed and three others were injured, the military said.

A teacher was killed and three students were critically injured from bullet wounds. “Three of the attackers were killed by security troops in another attack on a school,” the spokesman of the Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, said in a statement.

“Information available to the Joint Task Force indicated that a teacher at Sanda Karami Secondary School, Ruwan Zafi, the Customs General Area in Maiduguri metropolis one Malam Kachalla was shot dead on Monday, 18 March, 2013 between 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. local time inside the school’s premises by Boko Haram Terrorists,” the statement added.

“Three female students were also critically injured from bullet wounds and were rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital by the JTF patrol attracted to the scene by hasty movement of people from Customs Market area,” the statement said.

“Similarly, another attack on a Secondary School in Mafoni and Galadima areas of Maiduguri by Boko Haram was averted by the intervention of JTF troops leading to the death of 3 Terrorists and recovery of 2 AK 47 Rifles, 200 rounds of ammunition, 2 video recorders, 1 laptop and 2 tricycles. Efforts are on to apprehend the other culprits and be made to face the law,” the military added.

But residents maintained four teachers were killed. “They (gunmen) killed two female teachers and a snacks seller at Government Day Secondary School, Mafoni. They also killed the economic teacher at Shehu Sanda Kyarimi Primary School and another teacher, one Malam Illiyasu at Ali Askiri Primary School and a student,” one of the residents who did not want his name in press told Xinhua reporter.

Maiduguri, located in Nigeria’s northeastern region, is a Boko Haram flashpoint, where the Nigerian government had declared and lifted some curfews due to waves of attacks.