13 Killed in Nigeria violence

Eight people, including several police officers have been killed in Nigeria after gunmen opened fire in a bar in the north of the country. "Suspected Islamic sect members attacked the drinking joint and killed eight people, four of whom were policemen," Yobe state police commissioner Tanko Lawal said. Reports said the gunmen fled on a motorcycle after the late-night attack in the town of Potiskum. A seven-year-old child was also among the victims, police said. The attack in Yobe state is the latest in a series that officials blame on the Islamist militant group, Boko Haram. Earlier, at least five people died when a mob attacked a mosque and Islamic school in Benin city, in the mainly Christian south, forcing 3,000 Muslims to flee the area. Religious tensions have been growing as a general strike over rising petrol prices continues to grip the country. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon discussed the increasing sectarian violence with Nigeria''s Foreign Minister Olugbenga Ashiru on Tuesday. The meeting followed the release of a UN report that highlighted "growing concern in the region" about possible links between Boko Haram and al-Qaeda''s affiliate in North Africa, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim). (QNA) LY