At least 200 killed in religious crisis in Nigeria

Monday, 27 July 2009 12:58 Xinhua
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Nigeria, July 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 200 persons have been killed and many others seriously injured in the early hours of Sunday, following a renewed religious crisis in northern Nigeria's Bauchi State, the Tribune newspaper reported on Monday.
The Islamic fundamentalists, popularly called 'Boko Haram' which was said to have been campaigning against anything Western, claimed that its adherents were not allowed by the Bauchi government to publicly practice their religion as well as win moresouls to the sect, the report said.
It was learnt that members of the sect had been planning a demonstration in Bauchi for a long time but were not given the chance because of the fear by government that their doctrine, if allowed to be preached publicly, would cause religious crisis, considering the fact that the teachings were completely contrary to those of other Islamic sects as regards peaceful coexistence.
The reports added that the sect members in there hundreds trooped to the Dutsen Tanshi police station in the early hours of the day and attacked it.
They destroyed everything they could lay their hands on but could not break into the armory, the report said.
The Bauchi State government has imposed curfew beginning from 9:00 p.m. local time to 6: 00 a.m. local time indefinitely in the state.
Meanwhile, the tension in the state has been doused just as the people of the state are jubilating, expressing joy that the government has been proactive in stemming the crisis.
Emmanuel Ojukwu, Police spokesman in Abuja, said the police fought the fundamentalists to a standstill and overpowered them, while over 100 of them were arrested.
According to him, there were casualties, and over 100 of them were arrested, noting that one AK47, 200 lives ammunition, bows and arrows, Dane guns, explosives and other dangerous weapons were recovered from them.

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