Muslim sect issues new threat

Nigeria (AP):

A Muslim sect suspected of a series of targeted killings and a massive prison break has issued new threats in northern Nigeria, this time invoking al-Qaida's north Africa branch.

Posters by the Boko Haram sect appeared at key intersections in the city of Maiduguri this week, bearing the name of Imam Abubakar Shekau, the group's de facto leader. The two top corners of the posters bore a symbol of an opened Quran, flanked on each side by Kalashnikov assault rifles and a flag in the middle, mirroring the logo of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

The message warned the public against assisting the police or going near soldiers guarding the town at night. The message also acknowledged a recent reward offered for information leading to the arrest of suspected sect members.

"Any Muslim that goes against the establishment of Sharia (law) will be attacked and killed," the message read.

Strict law

Boko Haram, which means 'Western education is sacrilege' in the local Hausa language, has campaigned for the implementation of strict Shariah law. Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is divided between the Christian-dominated south and the Muslim north. A dozen states across Nigeria's north already have Shariah law in place, though the area remains under the control of secular state governments.

The poster said it was from Shekau on behalf of "The Group of the People of Sunnah, Call and Jihad".