MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities say a feared Muslim sect in northern Nigeria tried to kill a local leader, but he successfully repelled the attack.
Brig. Gen. Hassan Ndaliman said Monday that three armed followers of the Boko Haram sect targeted the local leader Sunday night. However, the man challenged his attackers and tackled a man who pointed a Kalashnikov rifle at him.
Ndaliman says soldiers later arrived, arresting one man while the other two escaped.
Followers of Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sacrilege” in Hausa, have emerged recently from hiding after their followers started a July 2009 riot, which led to a subsequent security crackdown that left 700 people dead.
Authorities accuse them of killing local leaders and policemen in recent weeks.
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