Dozens killed in clashes with Nigerian police

Islamic militants attacked a police station in northern Nigeria today in clashes which left 39 militants dead and more than 150 arrested.

The militants attacked a station in the capital of Bauchi state, state police said.

A spokesman revealed no policemen were killed, but said 15 Islamic fighters were injured and 156 arrested.

“The fundamentalists, known as Pokoharam in the local language, are those clamouring for the prohibition of western education in the state,” the spokesman said.

A national police spokesman revealed the fighters were “armed with guns, bows and arrows and explosives”, but that calm in Bauchi, the state capital, was quickly restored.