Nigerian army troops have surrounded the suspected hideouts of a radical Muslim group accused of orchestrating three days of violence that left at least 150 people dead in Africa's most populous nation.

The violence began in Bauchi on Sunday when police stations and government buildings were attacked.

Boko Haram, the group alleged to be behind the attacks, says they want an armed revolt against "Western-style" education and to cleanse Nigerian society of immorality.

How deep is the religious and political friction in the country and what does the future hold for Nigeria? Can there be a secular solution to a sectarian crisis?

Inside Story presenter Nick Clark is joined by Musa Aliyu, a doctoral researcher at the Desmond Tutu Centre for War and Peace Studies, Darren Kew, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts' Dispute Resolution Programme, and Malam Garba Sani, a senior official at the Nigeria Muslim Forum in the UK.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Wednesday, July 29, 2009.