Leader of Violent Nigerian Sect Shot in Police Custody

Summary

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THE leader of a radical Nigerian Islamist sect blamed for violent clashes between his followers and government forces has been shot dead in police custody.

Mohammed Yusuf, the head of the Nigerian Taliban, was killed after being captured on Thursday at the end of a four-day manhunt. Witnesses said the northern city of Maidugiri, Yusuf's base and the capital of Borno state, was calm. Experts said it was not clear yet if Yusuf's death would end the violence in northern Nigeria or inspire revenge attacks by the Boko Haram sect, which seeks the imposition of strict Islamic Shariah law in the multi-religious country. Yusuf, a Western-educated member of the country's elite, had encouraged his followers to rid themselves of all material wealth while he was chauffeured around in a Mercedes and amassed dozens of vehicles at his compound. Officials imposed partial Shariah in much of the north, but Boko Haram members were increasingly angry that full Islamic law had not been implemented, especially the law's demand for a social welfare system helping poor people.

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Leader of Violent Nigerian Sect Shot in Police Custody

The militan...

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