**The leader of the Nigerian Islamist sect which has been battling security forces in the north-east of the country has been captured, say police.**Mohammed Yusuf had fled the northern city of Maiduguri during the recent fighting between his followers and the Nigerian military.
Scores of people are believed to have died in the unrest.
The group, known as Boko Haram, wants to overthrow the government and impose a strict version of Islamic law.
“Mohammed Yusuf has been arrested. He is now at the Giwa barracks,” said police commissioner Christopher Dega, referring to the military base in Maiduguri.
A BBC reporter in Maiduguri said Mohammed Yusuf had been paraded before journalists with no apparent sign of injury.
He was reported to have been found hiding in a goat pen at his parents-in-law’s house.