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Many people have been killed in three explosions during yesterday’s prayers at one of the biggest mosques in the Nigerian city of Kano, reports say.

 An eyewitness told the BBC he had counted about 50 bodies, but this figure has not been verified.

The Central Mosque is where the influential Muslim leader, the Emir of Kano, usually leads prayers.

The Emir recently called for people to arm themselves against Islamist militant group Boko Haram.

The group has killed more than 2,000 people this year, rights groups say.

The Emir, Muhammad Sanusi, is currently in Saudi Arabia.

Reliable sources in the Emir's palace have told the BBC that he arrived in Saudi late last Thursday night from Paris.

Other reports say some gunmen went on a shooting spree in the northern city after the blasts.

Boko Haram has targeted the city, the largest in northern Nigeria, several times during its five-year insurgency.

But most of its attacks are further east.

Earlier this month, the Emir told a prayer meeting that people should "acquire what they need" to protect themselves.

A police spokesman said the Emir's comments were a "call for anarchy" and should not be acted on.

The Emir, who until earlier this year was governor of Nigeria's central bank, normally stayed silent on political matters. –BBC