Nigeria detains leader for abducted girls
Nigerian police detained a woman who organized mass demonstrations to protest the abduction of more than 200 school girls by hardline Islamists in the country's north, witnesses said Monday.
The arrest was reportedly ordered by First Lady Patience Jonathan, even though the president's wife does not have a constitutional right to give such instructions.
The government has been criticized for failing to trace the teenagers, who were abducted by suspected members of Islamist extremist sect Boko Haram on April 14 from a boarding school in the town of Chibok, near Borno state capital Maiduguri.
Protest leader Naomi Mutu, who is heading the "Bring Back Our Girls" movement that calls on government and police to take more decisive action to rescue the children, was arrested early Monday in Chibok, human rights activists told dpa on condition of anonymity.
Mutu, who led demonstrations over the weekend, was brought to capital Abuja for questioning where she is in custody at a local police station, according to witnesses.
It remains unclear under what charges Mutu was detained.
The police could not be reached for comment. Borno is one of three northern states that Nigeria's government placed under a state of emergency in May to curb violent attacks by Boko Haram.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sinful," has been active in the Muslim north of the West African country, carrying out attacks against government institutions and civilians. Since 2009, more than 6,000 people have been killed in the violence.
- Sapa