Nigeria's secret police have said that Boko Haram Islamic militants are receiving funding from certain politicians in the north

The intelligence agency said that it had arrested a spokesman for the group, who told them that he was sponsored by a politician in Borno state. Boko Haram is blamed for a growing number of deadly attacks in Nigeria. These include the UN headquarters bombing in Abuja in August 2011, which killed 24 people. Boko Haram said that it had carried out bomb and gun attacks in the north-eastern town of Damaturu recently, in which at least 63 people were killed. The targets of these attacks included churches and the headquarters of the Yobe state police. Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden", has launched frequent attacks on the police and government officials. Parts of the group say that they want sharia law more widely applied across Nigeria, but most factions are focused on local issues. The secret police (SSS) said that they had discovered links between Boko Haram and regional politicians after the arrest and questioning on November 3, 2011 of a spokesman for the group called Ali Sanda Umar Konduga. Police say that Konduga was the Boko Haram spokesman quoted in the Nigerian media using the name Usman al-Zawahiri. "His arrest further confirms the service position that some of the Boko Haram extremists have political patronage and sponsorship," SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar said. The statement also said that Konduga had been behind threatening text messages sent to judges and politicians. The attacks in Damaturu followed a triple suicide bomb attack on a military headquarters in Maiduguri, in neighboring Borno state. Boko Haram launched an uprising in northern Nigeria in 2009 which was put down by the Nigerian military. Boko Haram's leader, Mohammed Yusuf, was captured by the army, handed over to the police, and later found dead. The group has since re-emerged, carrying out a series of shootings and bombings. There has been speculation about whether Boko Haram has links with external extremist groups, including al-Qaeda's North African branch.