Story highlights Soldiers repelled the attacks in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state

A simultaneous attack on nearby Monguno was a different story

(CNN) Nigerian forces fought off Boko Haram militants in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, military officials said Monday, but the extremists seized another town in the same state.

Hundreds of Boko Haram gunmen launched a predawn attack Sunday on Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state.

Soldiers repelled the attacks, and officials have since eased a curfew imposed as a result, said Col. Sani Usman, a military spokesman.

But a simultaneous attack on nearby Monguno town was a different story.

The Islamist militants captured the town, together with its military barracks, a Nigerian military officer said.