Boko Haram has staged numerous attacks across northern and central Nigeria.

The group, whose name means Western education is forbidden, often targets the security forces and state institutions.

In August it claimed responsibility for a bomb at the UN headquarters in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, which killed at least 23 people.
On Thursday night, suspected members of the group attacked a military run secondary school near the city, killing four air force officers, hospital sources said.

On Saturday, Aliyu suspected that his house was under surveillance and called in members of his militant group to attack the police resulting in the shoot-out, said Kano state police chief Ibrahim Idris.

He said three police officers and four militants were killed.

Weapons and ammunition suspected to have been stolen from recent attacks on police stations in northern Nigeria were found in his car, while bomb-making materials were located in his house, the police chief said.
Idris said 14 people were detained.

Aliyu's arrest comes after that of a man accused of being the group's spokesman and a senator accused of concealing information about the militants.

However, a source close to Boko Haram described Mr Aliyu as a "new recruit" to the group.

The group first came to prominence in 2009 when hundreds of its followers were killed when they attacked police stations in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.