A rash of mysterious killings by gun-wielding motorcycle assassins of policemen, politicians and others in this city near the desert has led authorities to declare that a radical Islamic sect thought to have been crushed by Nigerian troops last year has been revived.<\/p>\n
Soldiers have been deployed here again, a curfew has been imposed and many residents worry about bold daylight attacks that officials call a renewal of the anti-Western sect\u2019s strikes on police stations and soldiers that took place last year.<\/p>\n
An outright challenge to the Nigerian government appears to be under way, with an audacious twilight prison break last month in Bauchi that freed over 700 \u201d\u201d including many jailed sect members \u201d\u201d the firebombing of a police station in Maiduguri last week and the killing of numerous police officers and other leaders in recent months.<\/p>\n