Student leaders in Nigeria have said they'll continue with planned protests against the military government, despite prevention by the security forces of major demonstrations yesterday.

Thursday One student leader the chairman of the West Africa Students Union, Ogunlana Oludare was quoted as saying that no amount of brutality, arrests or intimidation would stop them waging war against the military dictatorship, as he put it.

Yesterday's planned protests were designed to mark the second anniversary of the death of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Moshood Abiola, the man widely believed to have won annulled presidential elections in 1993.

She was shot dead in Lagos by unidentified gunmen.

Correspondents say tension has been high in Nigeria since the five legal political parties chose the military leader, General Sani Abacha, as their sole candidate to stand in new presidential elections scheduled for August.