Three supporters of an imprisoned Shiite cleric were killed over the weekend in the Nigerian capital Abuja after clashes with the army, a military spokesman said.
According to Nigeria's military, soldiers transporting weapons and ammunition were "attacked" by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) at the Zuba Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
The IMN members had established an "illegal roadblock denying motorists free passage" and when the military tried to clear the barrier they were met with "stiff opposition", James Myam said in a statement released on Sunday.
Soldiers opened fire on the IMN members after they "pelted the troops with stones" and attempted to "cart away the ammunition and missiles the troops were escorting", the statement said.
"Unfortunately, during the encounter three members of the sect were killed while two soldiers sustained various degrees of injuries," Myam said.
But the IMN disputed the claim, calling the military account "false" and