Muslim rebels attacked Nigerian police stations in two north-eastern states overnight killing at least one fireman, a day after more than 50 people died in clashes in Bauchi state, sources said on Monday.
The fireman was killed after dozens of militants demanding the adoption of Islamic sharia law set a police station ablaze in Potiskum, Yobe state, early on Monday. Four police officers were also injured, sources said.
In neighbouring Borno state, rebels believed to be members of the small Islamic group Boko Haram attacked a police station in the state’s capital, Maiduguri. It was not clear if there were any casualties.
The violence is not connected to unrest in the oil-producing Niger Delta in the south.
Boko Haram, a local group that wants sharia to be imposed throughout Africa’s most populous country, began its string of attacks in the north-eastern city of Bauchi early on Sunday in retaliation for the arrest of their leaders.
More than 50 Nigerians were killed in those clashes, prompting the Bauchi state governor to impose a night-time curfew for the capital city.
Police arrested more than 100 members after Sunday’s attack on a Bauchi police station.
”Bauchi has been quiet overnight but the militants have struck in Yobe and neighbouring states,” said Garba Abubakar, a Bauchi police officer.
The Islamic group is not connected to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, Nigeria’s most prominent rebel group responsible for a campaign of violence that has battered Africa’s biggest energy sector since early 2006. — Reuters