The leader of Nigeria’s Boko Haram rebels was killed after capture by the military July 30 following a massive offensive on the sect’s strongholds in the north of the country. Initial statements said Muhammad Yusuf “died in police custody,” but international rights groups are demanding an investigation. Eric Guttschuss, of Human Rights Watch, said: “The extrajudicial killing of Mr Yusuf in police custody is a shocking example of the brazen contempt by the Nigerian police for the rule of law.” Some 300 were killed in the 72-hour offensive, and possibly twice that number. At least 100 were killed when soldiers shot their way into the mosque in Maiduguri. (PTI, The Guardian, AP, July 30)
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Death toll rises in Nigerian civil strife
Local media are now reporting that 700 were killed in the government’s offensive against Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. In Maiduguri, 11 churches were attacked and badly damaged in the violence. (Catholic Information Service for Africa, Aug. 4 via AllAfrica)