Nigeria islamist death sparks human rights row

A Nigerian government minister has expressed relief at the death of an Islamic sect leader, Mohammed Yusuf, the BBC reports.

The Islamic sect leader’s body has shown to journalists on Thursday just hours after police said they had captured him, but the human rights campaigners alleged he had been executed by the police, who said Yusuf died in a shoot-out following days of bloody fighting.

Regarding Yusuf’s death, the Daily Telegraph’s foreign staff wrote to the paper and said the senior leader of the Boko Haram sect, which adheres to Taliban-style sharia law, was killed in a dawn attack along with some 200 followers as they attempted to flee Maiduguri, a northern city in Nigeria.

The Daily Telegraph went on to write: “The deputy leader of the Taliban by the name Abubakar Shekau was in the early hours of today killed along with 200 followers by Nigerian troops," an official said.

The BBC's Bilkisu Babangida reports the militant group let by Yusuf has been blamed for days of violence unrest in which hundreds of people died in clashes between his followers and security forces.

The violence reportedly sparked because Boko Haram wants to overthrow the Nigerian government and impose a strict version of Islamic Sharia law.

After the 39-year-old died, as Bilkisu Babangida continues, the city is back to normal with shops and banks re-opening and she says many residents are happy that Mr Yusuf is dead.

Dora Akunyili, Information Minister told the BBC’s Network Africa that she was concerned about the death and that the government would find out “exactly what happened”, though as previously set out by the Daily Telegraph that Mr Yusuf was killed in an attack, and did not mention his execution in the police custody.

She also adds Yusuf’s demise was a “positive” thing for Nigeria.

“What is important is that Yusuf has been taken out of the way, to stop him using people to cause mayhem.”

Human Rights Watch staff said there should be an immediate investigation into the case.

Eric Guttschuss, a New York-based rights group said to the BBC: “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 the law.”

Another Human Rights Watch researcher, Cornnie Dufka, told AP news agency, according to the BBC: “The Nigerian authorities must act immediately to investigate and hold to account all those responsible for this unlawful killing and any others associated with the recent violence in northern Nigeria.”