Nigeria seeking Boko Haram talks

31 July 2011 Last updated at 01:15 GMT Boko Haram said it attacked Nigeria's police headquarters last month Nigeria's government says it wants to start negotiating with Islamist group Boko Haram, which has been blamed for a series of recent attacks.

The government said a panel would open talks with the group and report back by 16 August.

There was no immediate reaction to the statement from Boko Haram.

The group, whose name roughly translates as "Western education is forbidden", is fighting to topple the government and create an Islamic state.

It led an uprising across a number of states in northern Nigeria in 2009, during which hundreds were killed.

In recent weeks it has been blamed for a series of bombings and shootings in Nigeria's north-east.

The government statement said President Goodluck Jonathan had appointed seven people, including the ministers of defence and labour, to a negotiation committee.

It said the panel's role would be to act "as a liaison between the federal government ... and Boko Haram and to initiate negotiations with the sect".

It would also work with Nigeria's national security adviser to ensure that security forces acted with "professionalism", the statement added.

The governor of the Nigerian state of Borno has admitted that the army has been guilty of excesses during operations to counter Boko Haram.

Most of Boko Haram's recent attacks have been carried out in the Borno city of Maiduguri.

It also claimed responsibility for the deadly bombing of the police headquarters in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, last month.

The negotiation panel is to be inaugurated on Tuesday.

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Nigeria police in Islamist trial

13 July 2011 Last updated at 11:39 GMT Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf was alive when captured by the army Four Nigerian policemen have appeared in court in the first public hearing over the killing of radical Islamist leader Mohammed Yusuf in 2009.

The Boko Haram leader was captured alive in Maiduguri and paraded in front of video cameras, but his body was later displayed riddled with bullets.

Legal proceedings began earlier this year but the hearings were kept secret.

There has been an increased frequency of attacks, blamed on Boko Haram, targeting the police.

There was tight security around the Abuja court house as the hearing opened with the four police officers in court, says the BBC's Habiba Adamu at the scene in the capital.

The trial has now been adjourned until next Tuesday when a fifth officer will be included in the trial and formal charges will be made against the men.

The Nigerian government is often accused of failing to prosecute police accused of brutality and extra-judicial killings.

Fight for Islamic rule

Two years ago, Nigeria's security forces brutally suppressed an uprising by Boko Haram, destroying their compound and then capturing Mr Yusuf.

Instead of disappearing, the group, which opposes Western education and fights for Islamic rule, re-emerged last September and vowed to avenge its leader's death.

Last month, the group said it had carried out an attack on the headquarters of the Nigerian police in Abuja, which killed at least six people.

Most of its attacks take place in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, in Borno state, where thousands of people have been fleeing in recent days.

Continue reading the main story 2002: Founded2009: Hundreds killed when Maiduguri police stations stormed2009: Boko Haram leader Mohammed Yusuf captured by army, handed to police, later found deadSept: 2010: Freed hundreds of prisoners from Maiduguri jailDecember 2010: Bombed Jos, killing 80 people and blamed for New Year's Eve attack on Abuja barracks2010-2011: Dozens killed in Maiduguri shootingsMay 2011: Bombed several states after president's inaugurationJune 2011: Police HQ bombedJune 2011: 25 people killed in attack on barOn Tuesday, the university in Maiduguri was closed because of the growing insecurity.

The security forces in the city have also been accused of firing indiscriminately and killing civilians after the raids.

Legislators from Borno state held a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday to condemn the military strategy in Borno and called for an amicable solution to the conflict with Boko Haram.

Last week, Maiduguri banned all motorbikes to prevent drive-by shootings by Boko Haram.

Its gunmen often use motorbikes to assassinate security officers and politicians.

The group's official name is Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, which in Arabic means "People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad".

But residents of Maiduguri, where it was formed in 2002, dubbed it Boko Haram.

Loosely translated from the local Hausa language, this means Western education is forbidden.

Residents gave it the name because of its strong opposition to Western education, which it sees as corrupting Muslims.

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Nigeria bans 'terror motorbikes'

8 July 2011 Last updated at 11:50 GMT Both commercial and private motorbikes have been banned in Maiduguri Motorbikes have been banned from the northern Nigerian city of Maiduguri to prevent drive-by attacks by the radical Islamist sect, Boko Haram.

Officials said no-one would be able to ride motorbikes at any time in the city, Boko Haram's stronghold.

The group's trademark has been to use gunmen on motorbikes to assassinate security officers and politicians.

Boko Haram is fighting for Islamic rule and has rejected talks with the government.

At least 40 people have been killed in Maiduguri, the main city in Borno state, in the past two weeks in attacks blamed on the group.

Last month, the group said it had carried out an attack on the headquarters of the Nigerian police in the capital, Abuja, which killed at least six people.

Soldiers attacked

The Borno state government said it was now imposing a 24-hour ban on motorbikes in the city.

"The ban includes private as well as commercial motorcycles of all categories that operate within Maiduguri metropolis," Usman Ciroma, spokesman for the Borno state governor, said in a statement.

Correspondents say motorbikes are one of the most common forms of transport in Maiduguri, as most people cannot afford cars.

The AFP news agency reports that the governor, Kashim Shettima, warned that the ban could be extended.

"If the security situation does not improve following this ban, the government will extend the ban to cover the whole state," he was quoted as saying.

On Wednesday, Boko Haram fighters threw an explosive device at a military patrol in Maiduguri, wounding three officers.

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