Bodies of 4 persons with slit throats recovered in Nigerian city

Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - The bodies of four persons who had their throats slit have been recovered by soldiers of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri, the spiritual base of Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamic sect, according to JTF spokesman Lt.-Col. Musa Sagir.

The spokesman told journalists Tuesday that the bodies were found in a construction workers' compound in the city's Bolori area on Monday, and were therefore suspected to be those of construction workers working at a nearby site.

But he said the number of bodies found was four, contrary to the nine bodies being reported by local and international media

The spokesman said his men were on the trail of the perpetrators, even though no one has yet claimed responsibility for the killings.

Boko Haram has been active in the city and elsewhere in the predominantly-Muslim north since 2009 when the sect launched its violent campaign, aimed partly at imposing the Islamic Sharia law on the north.

Since 2009, the sect has killed over 1,200 people in gun and bomb attacks.
-0- PANA SEG 3July2012