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Nigerian forces battle ‘Islamists’ in Abuja

ABUJA – Nigerian forces fought what they said was a gun battle with Islamist insurgents in the capital Abuja on Saturday, but statements from witnesses and the US embassy suggested those involved were squatters.

Nigeria’s main intelligence agency said Boko Haram fighters opened fire on security agents in the capital who were searching for a weapons cache in a building under construction.

If confirmed, it would be the first violence linked to the Islamist group to hit the Nigerian capital in months.

However, a security message from the US embassy about what appeared to be the same incident suggested those involved may in fact have been squatters.

The embassy, naming the neighbourhood where the incident occurred, warned of “the potential for civil disturbances in and around the Apo area, Wumba District, Abuja, throughout tonight and over the weekend”.

It added that “a violent incident in the early hours of 20 September involving squatters in Apo may be the trigger for such disturbances.”

A US embassy spokesperson declined further comment and Nigerian intelligence agency spokesperson Marilyn Ogar did not answer calls.

Several witnesses injured in the shoot-out told AFP in an Abuja hospital that eight people were killed, describing the victims as unarmed squatters.

A man who claimed to be at the building at the time of the incident and whose name AFP has withheld for his protection said the owner had come on Wednesday and told them they had a week to leave. – Nampa-AFP

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