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Boko Haram leader claims blast in Nigeria's Lagos - AFP


    ABUJA (Reuters) - Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has claimed responsibility for two blasts on June 25 at a fuel depot in Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos, AFP reported on Sunday, which, if true, would be the first recorded attack on the city by the militants.

    "A bomb went off in Lagos. I ordered the bomber who went and detonated it," the French news agency, which is usually the first to get hold of Shekau's videos before they distributed online, said.

    Authorities said the blast was an accident caused by a gas canister, but security sources told Reuters that was a cover up meant to avoid panic in the southwestern city of 21 million people.

    (Reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Louise Ireland)