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Muslim sect kills prominent cleric in Nigeria’s restless northeast as violence continues
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Authorities in Nigeria say a radical Muslim sect operating in the northeast has shot dead another prominent cleric from the region, the latest in a string of targeted assassinations terrifying the area.
Police say 65-year-old Li…
Authorities in Nigeria say a radical Muslim sect operating in the northeast has shot dead another prominent cleric from the region, the latest in a string of targeted assassinations terrifying the area.
Police say 65-year-old Liman Bana died Friday night after sustaining gunshot wounds while walking home from conducting prayers at the main mosque in Ngala, a Nigerian border town with Chad.
Borno state police spokesman Abubakar Kabiru said Saturday the gunmen rode away on a motorcycle and sped across the border after the attack.
Kabiru blamed the attack on a group known locally as Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sacrilege” in the local Hausa language. The group is responsible for a rash of killings in the area over the last year.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.