Nigerian Islamists issue ultimatum

Minority Christians in the northern Nigerian town of Damatura are fleeing to the south of the country after being told to get out by militant Islamists.
The Christians have been given three days to leave by the Islamist Boko Haram group after Nigeria’s president said he was sending in government troops to root out the insurgents.
Damatura, which has been a flashpoint of recent Boko Haram attacks, has become deserted as people stayed away to avoid being caught up in the military build-up.
Nigeria is divided by the mainly Christian community in the south and the Muslim north.
President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in some northern regions as Boko Haram attacks spread southwards. In a series of Christmas Day bombings more than forty people were killed including 37 worshippers at a church near the capital Abuja.
Jonathan has told his chief of staff to take appropriate anti-terrorist measures.