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Witnesses Say Nigerian Soldiers Kill 30 After Blast

In this photo taken with a mobile phone, soldiers stand outside a burnt out shopping mall in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012.

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VOA News

October 08, 2012

Witnesses in northern Nigeria are accusing soldiers of firing on civilians in the troubled city of Maiduguri, killing at least 30 people.

Reporters and hospital workers say many of the dead appear to be civilians. They say soldiers also set fire to homes and shops.

Residents say the violence took place Monday after a bomb exploded on an army patrol, wounding two soldiers.

Military officials would not confirm or deny reports that soldiers opened fire on civilians.

Maiduguri is at the center of operations for the Islamist group known as Boko Haram. The group is blamed for killing more than 1,400 people in recent years. Churches and police are frequent targets.

Nigeria's military claimed on Sunday that it killed 30 suspected members of Boko Haram in the nearby city of Damaturu.

The radical sect says it wants a strict form of Islamic law imposed throughout the country.

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by: Godwin from: Nigeria

October 11, 2012 11:16 AM

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Iro ni! Mr. Mmutaz from: London, it's a lie. Nigeria cannot afford that luxury of allowing the division. Semi-autonomy, you say? Tantamount to allowing the Arewa Republic, Oduduwa Republic, Ibo (or Biafra) Republic, Ogoni Republic, Ijaw Republic and many more ethnic nationalities in the country yearning not just for autonomy but for total separation. Nigeria has fought wars to remain the way it is today, a suggestion of partial autonomy is to open the floodgate of request/suggestion for disintegration. That's the last thing most of Nigeria wants at the moment, even though it would have been the better option. But what about such core Christian areas and people in such separated semi-autonomous communities in the hands of sharia fraught rule, have they been given a license to be wiped off?

by: Mmutaz from: London

October 09, 2012 12:03 PM

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It is difficult to ascertain, who is telling the truth in this case, the government of Nigeria is saying that, those that are killed are all members of Boko Haram. But this report is saying that civilians maybe among those that are killed.Using violence to stop violence does not work, especially in Islamic world.What is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other Islamic world proves this.Trying to solve this problem with excessive use of force will only escalate the situation. The Nigeria government should talk to their people and know what they want. If the north want sharia law, they should be granted semi-autonomy to do this and allow the rest of Nigeria to continue with their secular system.

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