Al-Qaeda-Linked Terrorists Attack Police & Burn Schools in Nigeria

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (The Blaze/AP) — Nigerian police say suspected radical Islamic sect members launched multiple attacks in a northeastern city just days after they committed a trio of deadly church attacks in a northern state.

(Related: Church Blasts Kill 12 and Injure 80 in Nigeria, Reportedly Sparking Christian Reprisal Attacks Against Muslims)

Yobe State police chief Patrick Egbuniwe said Tuesday that Boko Haram members started attacking police and military institutions late Monday in Damaturu. Resident Fatima Garba says at least two schools were burned.

Reuters has more about authorities’ response to the escalating violence in the region, as terrorists continue their battle against local Nigerian security forces:

Nigerian authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew in the northeastern city of Damaturu on Tuesday, after clashes between suspected Islamist sect members and the military raged overnight.

Local residents said sporadic gunfire, which began around 1700 GMT on Monday, could still be heard in Damaturu on Tuesday but the authorities did not say where the clashes were taking place or whether there were any casualties.

This file image taken from video posted by Boko Haram sympathizers made available on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2012 shows Imam Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram. (AP Photo, File)

Last November, the Islamist sect claimed responsibility for bombings and shootings that left more than 100 dead in and around Damaturu. In January, The Blaze’s Buck Sexton explored whether a religious civil war is on the horizon in Nigeria, writing:

…the Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram…is pushing for a Sharia-compliant Nigeria with a campaign of brutal violence against Christians who make up roughly half the country. The country could soon see spiraling violence as Christians defend themselves — and possibly retaliate.

The Telegraph surmised that Islamic violence against Christians “has sparked fears of a wider religious conflict in a country whose 160 million population is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominantly Christian south.”

As The Blaze reported, the sect claimed responsibility for three church attacks in Kaduna state on Sunday. On Tuesday, a relief agency official involved in rescue efforts said at least 70 people died in those attacks and in reprisal killings. The previous death toll was 50. He spoke anonymously as he said he was not authorized to speak to journalists.