Gunmen in Nigeria have attacked the convoy of one of the country's most influential Muslim figures, killing at least three people.

Officials say Ado Bayero, the emir of Kano, was unhurt following the attack on his convoy Saturday.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack in Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria.

The incident comes one day before the first anniversary of the deadly bombings and shootings that killed 184 people in Kano. The assault last year was blamed on the Islamist sect Boko Haram.

Boko Haram has called for Sharia, or Islamic law, to be applied more widely and strictly across Nigeria.

The country of 150 million people is divided between the mostly Muslim north and largely Christian south.