Reports from Nigeria say that the leader of a wing of a militant group campaigning for greater autonomy in the country has been arrested by the authorities.

The leader of the moderate wing of the Odua Peoples Congress, Frederic Fasheun, was arrested by agents of the State Security Service on Wednesday, according to human rights campaigners in Lagos.

The group claims to fight for the interests of the Yoruba ethnic community in the region.

Mr. Fasheun's detention is the latest in a number of arrests of Ibo and Hausa leaders campaigning for changes to the Nigerian constitution to allow greater regional autonomy. The arrest follows unrest in northern Nigeria linked to the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in three states.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service