Bama after fierce fighting with government forces, residents say.
Thousands of civilians have fled the town, along with soldiers, they added.
However, military sources said the army was still in control of Bama,
the second biggest town in Borno state.
Last month, Boko Haram said it had established an Islamic state in the
towns and villages it controls in north-eastern Nigeria.
If confirmed, the capture of Bama would be an extremely significant
development and would raise concerns that Boko Haram's next target
will be Maiduguri, the state capital about 70km (44 miles) away, says
BBC Hausa service editor Mansur Liman in the capital, Abuja
Residents told BBC Hausa that Boko Haram captured Bama, which the 2006
census showed had a population of about 270,000, after heavy fighting
on Sunday and Monday.
The militants, who travelled in tanks and armoured trucks, first
seized the military barracks in the town, they said.
Soldiers and residents fled on foot, many of them walking all the way
to Maiduguri, residents told the BBC.
Nigerian security sources said the assault had been repelled and about
70 militants had been killed, news agencies report.
The air force was used to "dislodge the swamp of terrorists" from
Bama, the military said on its Twitter account.
An overnight curfew has been imposed in Maiduguri to prevent
"infiltration" by militants after the "heavy casualties" they
suffered, it added.
Boko Haram's five-year insurgency has intensified in recent months
despite the deployment of thousands of extra troops to the
worst-affected areas.
In April, the militants captured more than 200 girls from a boarding
school in the town of Chibok, also in Borno state.
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