"The Nigeria Police Force was stunned at the terrible murder, in cold blood, of her personnel. Some of these officers were slaughtered like animals, some roasted," the Nigerian police said in a statement.

The police referred to the Boko Haram uprising in July last year. Boko Haram is an Islamist group who seeks to establish Islamic law in the country. “Boko Haram unleashed mayhem in the northern states of Borno, Yobe, Bauchi, Kano, Nasarawa and Plateau, spilling innocent blood, making widows and orphans of police families," the police statement read.

The violent rebellion was stopped by the Nigerian army. At least 700 sect Boko Haram members were killed. It is said that the group has gone underground since the police crackdown.

Muslims and Christians
Since January this year, fighting between Christians and Muslims in Central Nigeria has left more than 500 dead. Nigeria’s 150 million people are divided into a Christian-dominated south and a Muslim-held north.
Since its return to democracy in 1999, the most populated African country has experienced waves of religious violence between the two faiths over religious and political grounds.