Nigeria arrests two prison absconders
Abuja: Nigeria's military has arrested
two persons suspected to be inmates of a prison attacked by
Islamic fundamentalists in northern state of Bauchi last week
in their bid to set free their members.
More than 700 inmates escaped in the Tuesday night
attack, including at least 150 alleged members of the outlawed
Boko Haram sect whose uprising led to the death of more than
800 people last year.
Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Kingsley Umoh
said they were arrested by a task force after receiving
information about their movement.
"We're handing them over to the police," Umoh said
adding that one of them is strongly believed to be member of
Boko Haram who is serving life sentence.
Clashes between Boko Haram and the police in July
2009 left over 700 dead including the sect's founder Mohammad
Yusuf.
Boko Haram members have been issuing video warnings
against western education, which they term as "evil".
The sect wants to enforce Islamic law across Nigeria
and has also burnt a number of churches in the process.
Founded in 2004, the radical sect has clashed with
security forces in northern states of Bauchi, Borno, Kano and
Yobe.