Nigerian police arrest two gunmen in restive north

KANO, Nigeria

Nigerian police have arrested two gunmen following a shootout in a foiled attack on a police station outside the restive northern city of Kano, police said Saturday.

Gunmen riding on motorcycles and motorised rickshaws opened fire on a police station in the town of Minjibir outside Kano on Friday, state police spokesman Magaji Majia told AFP.

"The attack was repelled by the policemen at the station, who succeeded in apprehending two of the gunmen as they were retreating," Majia said.

The incident occurred hours after gunmen on tricycles killed 10 polio vaccinators in two separate attacks in Kano on Friday, but it was unclear whether the two incidents were linked.

"The two suspects are being interrogated to establish their identity and motive," Majia said.

The Islamist group Boko Haram has been active in Kano in recent months.

Boko Haram has claimed to be fighting for the creation of an Islamic state, but its demands have shifted repeatedly and it is believed to include various factions. Criminal gangs and imitators are also suspected of carrying out violence under the guise of the group.

Violence linked to the extremist sect in northern and central Nigeria has claimed some 3,000 lives, including killings by security agents.