MAIDUGURI, Nigeria - Witnesses say twin explosions from suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers have killed at least eight people in Nigeria's northeastern city of Maiduguri.

The first blast outside a refugee camp came around 7 a.m.

Witness Inuwe Sula says he saw six bodies evacuated near Bakassi refugee camp and several wounded survivors "drenched with blood."

Civilian self-defense fighter Dan Batta says two suicide bombers tried to enter the camp that holds more than 16,000 refugees from Boko Haram's seven-year Islamic uprising.

He says the second blast came a half-hour later and about a kilometer away when a tricycle taxi carrying at least two people exploded.

Boko Haram has stepped up attacks after a months-long lull caused by a leadership struggle in the organization affiliated with the Islamic State group.