Three policemen, one civilian killed by suspected Muslim sect members in Maiduguri

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Police say three policemen and a civilian were shot and killed at a residence in northeastern Nigeria by suspected members of a radical Muslim sect.

Police chief Simeone Midenda said Friday that the men were watching TV when gunmen burst into the room and shot them. He said the bodies have been taken to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.

Midenda blamed the attack on a group known locally as Boko Haram, which means “Western education is sacrilege” in the local Hausa language. The group is responsible for a rash of killings targeting security officers, local leaders and clerics in the area over the last year. They also claimed responsibility for a bombing at national police headquarters that killed two in June.

Boko Haram seeks the strict implementation of Shariah law in northern Nigeria.

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