Nigerianske sikkerhetsstyrker har gått til aksjon mot en ny muslimsk sekt som er karismatisk og har et voldelig preg. Minst 20 mennesker skal være drept i provinsen Bauchi. Det er ikke mange måneder siden regjeringen nedkjempet en tilsvarende sekt.
The fighting came after local people told authorities they were alarmed by open-air preaching by the religious sect, which is known as Kala Kato.
Such preaching was banned in the state after an uprising by another sect, Boko Haram, earlier this year.
Hundreds of people were killed in the subsequent fighting across northern Nigeria.
The BBC’s Caroline Duffield reports from Lagos that Kala Kato is a non-conformist Muslim sect made up of poor tradesmen, labourers and other working people.
Some residents in Zango, just south of the city of Bauchi, have said that in recent days the mood of their preaching had become aggressive.
The violence there began on Sunday morning. After some initial shooting the security forces retreated, before returning in greater numbers.
Members of the group had armed themselves with machetes and cutlasses, and appeared ready to fight armed police and soldiers, she adds.