Violent clashes erupt in Nigeria

Troops in northern Nigeria battled gunmen who had been blamed for an attack on a police station in which 12 policemen and a civilian died.

Gunfire erupted in Kano and added to tension across the country days before a presidential vote meant to usher in the first civilian-to-civilian transfer of power in a nation whose history since independence in 1960 has been plagued by military coups.

The violence broke out near the area where a group of suspected Islamic extremists were holed up after their police station attack.

Witnesses said they saw injured troops being rushed from the scene.