Authorities say a mother travelling with seven children has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle assault rifles for a violent Muslim sect into northern Nigeria.
Local police chief Mohammed Abubakar said Wednesday the 35-year-old woman was arrested took a speed boat from Chad to Nigeria. Abubakar says officers searched her bags of corn and discovered 10 Kalashnikov assault rifles and ammunition.
Abubakar says the rifles were intended for Boko Haram, a Muslim sect whose name means “Western education is sacrilege” in the Hausa language. The group’s members have emerged recently from hiding after starting a July 2009 riot, which led to a security crackdown that left 700 people dead.
Authorities accuse them of killing local officials in recent weeks.