Six Boko Haram members have died in Maiduguri, allegedly as a result of a fight that broke out among members of the Islamist group.

The six were reported to have been killed on Thursday in Shehu North – the same district where the military said it had killed 11 Boko Haram members on Saturday.

‘The killings may have been as a result of division among sect members,’ security officer Hassan Mohammed said. Gunshots and explosions were heard Friday morning in Maiduguri, home to the headquarters of the radical group.

The Nigerian army – which has pulled one of its brigades out of the troubled northern state of Jos – said there were no casualties, and that the explosions were the result of bombs detonated safely by security forces.

Boko Haram spokesman Abul Qaqa, who previously issued statements claiming responsibility for Christmas Day bombings and a recent spate of attacks in Kano, is being questioned by police in Abuja.

He was arrested Wednesday and has been held in the capital since.