Nigeria police have broken up an Islamic community in the western part of the country and deported dozens of its members to avert any repeat of violence in which about 800 people were killed last month, state officials said yesterday.

Nigerian immigration officials deported some 100 members over the weekend to Ghana and Niger after they were found to be non-citizens. Those found to be Nigerians were sent back to their home states.

Police said no criminal charges were brought against any members.

The police moved on the Darul Islam community on the edge of Mokwa town earlier this month, detaining hundreds of members after reports the group was forcibly holding women to be wives.

Niger State officials said they feared the community could have evolved into a violent group like the radical Islamic sect Boko Haram, which clashed with security forces last month hundreds of kilometres away in northeastern Maiduguri. While the two groups are not known to be directly linked, the authorities suspect they share similar beliefs.

Darul Islam had an estimated 1,300 members, some of whom crossed into Nigeria from Niger.