'Left in the hands of god'

On Tuesday afternoon, a bomb scare at the National Assembly, caused lawmakers and bureaucrats to hurriedly abandon their offices. Banks also closed before officials gave the all-clear.

Ordinary citizens, and delegates to a conference discussing national unity in a country split between a mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south, all called on the government to do more to end violence and improve security across the territory.

"We are left in the hands of God," said Emeka Obi, who works at a business centre in the capital.

Some delegates to the conference called for closure of Nigeria's borders with its Sahel neighbours Niger and Chad and also with Cameroon, reflecting fears that Boko Haram had bases there and also ties with al Qaeda-linked Saharan jihadists.

There are also suspicions some local politicians may be manipulating the violence to try to serve their own interests.

"We must advise politicians to take politics out of this entirely. There are external sponsors to this cannibalism we are witnessing," said Kunle Olajide, a delegate to the conference.

Nigerian authorities plan to deploy over 6,000 police and soldiers to protect participants in the May 7-9 "African Davos" World Economic Forum which draws regional heads of state and business leaders in a mirror of the Davos, Switzerland event.