Mohammed Yusuf, leader of an Islamic sect which launched deadly raids across northern Nigeria, has died in police custody,
officially as he was trying to escape.
His followers attacked several police stations, threatening to overthrow the government and impose strict Islamic law - but
who exactly are the group known locally as the Taliban?
Since the group emerged in 2004 they have become known as “Taliban”, although they appear to have no links to the Taliban in
Afghanistan.
Some analysts believe they took inspiration from the radical Afghans, others say the name is more a term of ridicule used by
people in Maiduguri, the city where they were founded.
The group is also referred to as Boko Haram, which means “Western education is a sin” - one of their core beliefs.
Isa Sanusi, from the BBC’s Hausa service, says the group has no specific name for itself, just many names attributed to it
by local people.
If their name is uncertain, however, their mission appears clear enough: to overthrow the Nigerian state, impose an extreme
interpretation of Islamic law and abolish what they term “Western-style education”.
