'Three people shot' in tense south-east Nigeria

There has been trouble close to the home of Ipob leader Nnamdi Kanu (AFP)

Eyewitnesses have told the BBC that three people have been shot by men in a military van outside a local government building, in Umoahia, south-east Nigeria, following clashes earlier in the week between the army and members of the separatist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob).

Two people died and one was rushed to hospital.

Tensions have been escalating in the area since clashes erupted earlier in the week and today’s shooting seems to be related.

On Tuesday, Ipob members hurled stones at a military convoy when it came close to the house of their leader Nnamdi Kanu.

After the incident, videos emerged online which have stoked tensions even further.

One video shared widely seems to show Ipob members being forced to lie face down in mud, the person filming says that one man was killed, but the BBC has been unable to independently verify that claim.

In a statement today, the Nigerian army said they were investigating these videos but also accused Ipob of publishing "bogus, manipulated and photo-shopped photographs as well as video clips".

In the city of Aba residents have been subjected to a curfew for four days after reports of local youths setting up road blocks to search for Hausa people, suggesting the clashes have taken on an ethnic dimension.

In Port Harcourt a police spokesman said that an officer was killed after youths seized his gun and a police hut was burnt down, 32 people have been arrested in the city.