The pictures – sent to the Whatsapp account of the BBC Hausa Service – show a number of newly made rockets in what is believed to be a laboratory at a college in north-eastern Borno state, the birthplace of the group.

According to the BBC, an inscription on one of machineries shows the abbreviation of the Government Technical College in Bama, a town previously held by the militants before they were dislodged by the army.

The equipment appeared to have been donated to the college by the Educational Trust Fund in 2005 – a special fund set up by the government to help tertiary institutions.

Boko Haram making rockets

BBC could not ascertain  when the pictures were taken.

The question of where Boko Haram gets much of its weapons has been a subject of intense debate.

The group has been known to use rocket propelled  grenades in the past.