MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — An eyewitness says Nigerian army troops are exchanging fire with Islamic militants in northern Nigeria a day after the president insisted the military had the situation under control.
Olugbenga Akinbule, a local journalist, says he saw fighting Wednesday morning in the town of Maiduguri. He says it was outside the suspected hideout of a radical Muslim leader accused of orchestrating three days of violence in Africa's most populous nation.
President Umaru Yar'Adua said the military had surrounded the Islamic camp on Tuesday.
Islamic militants attacked a police station in northern Nigeria on Sunday, sparking the worst violence Nigeria has seen in months. Police said Monday at least 55 people died.
The militants oppose western education and seek a harsh interpretation of Islamic Shariah law in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north.
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