The police on Monday shot dead a man who attempted to drive a car filled with explosives into the police headquarters in Maiduguri, Borno State.

Reports say the incident happened as the police were holding a recruitment exercise that had about 1,500 potential recruits in attendance.

The Commissioner of Police in charge of the state command, Simeon Midenda, told journalists that the recruits were being interviewed when the incident happened.

Midenda traced the foiled attempt to anonymous text messages sent to the command last week.

He said, “Sometime last week, we received threat messages that the Cadet Police Officers screening, scheduled to commence on August 15, would be disrupted by a faceless group.

“As a result, the already tight security around police formations in the state was further beefed up.”

The police sometimes use 'faceless group' to describe Boko Haram.

The CP said that a young man of about 25 years and driving a Honda accord saloon car forced his way into the Police Headquarters at about 12:15 hours.

He said, “Today at about 12:15 hours, a man aged about 25 years gatecrashed into the Police Headquarters in a Honda Accord Saloon Car with registration number AP 851 ABJ.

“The car knocked down the gate and headed towards the main building, alert armed policemen on guard within the premises opened fire on him and he slumped at the steering.”

Midenda said the suspect's car was loaded with gas cylinders connected together with wires.

“The police Bomb Disposal Squad was promptly drafted and the Improvised Explosive Devise was successfully defused.

“Items recovered from the car included six gas cylinders of 13.6kg each with its wiring, one air conditioner, gas cylinder and two 25 litre jerry cans of fuel.

“Others included one tin of ABRO can of five litre volume and one acid orange drum of 25 kg.”

Midenda said the police had commenced an investigation to unravel the circumstance of the failed attack.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attempted attack, police sources said “fingers are pointing to Boko Haram.”

The fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boka Haram, was said to have been founded in Maiduguri in 2002 with a stand against Western education and campaign for the adoption of the Sharia law in the country.

To achieve the objectives, the sect is currently engaged in a campaign of bombings against the Federal Government. It has attacked military barracks, drinking joints and police facilities in the Northern region and the Federal Capital Territory.

On June 16, a lone bomber suspected to be a member of Boko Haram attacked the Louis Edet House headquarters of the Nigeria Police Force. The bomber and a policeman died in the attack while a total of 70 vehicles were either burnt or damaged in the bomb attack.

The bomber had driven into the police headquarters moments after the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Afiz Ringim, arrived the building.

At least, 700 people are said to have been killed in several attacks by members of the sect.

A military-police joint task force, deployed by the Federal Government, is in the Borno State to confront the members of the sect.

The Senate has since February 17 approved the country's first anti-terrorism Act, giving law enforcers greater powers to detain and prosecute suspects.