Election-related violence kills dozens of Nigerians: Observers
Tehran (KNA) - Dozens of people have been killed in a wave of violence related to presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria, civil society groups monitoring the vote say, as the country is awaiting the results.
The Situation Room - which represents more than 70 civil society groups - said Monday that "election-related violence...led to the death of at least 39 Nigerians" in the last two days.
The Situation Room had over 8,000 observers around the country to monitor Saturday's vote, in which President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking a second term in office.
The group said the worst incident was in Abonnema in Rivers State, around 14 kilometers west of the main oil industry city of Port Harcourt, where the army said seven people died in a shootout between an unidentified gang and Nigerian soldiers.
A lieutenant and six gunmen died in the firefight, which broke out when the attackers barricaded a major road into the town and ambushed the troops, the acting director of army public relations, Colonel Sagir Musa, said. The motive behind the attack was not clear.
Source: PressTV