LAGOS, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- At least 38 people have been killed and a number of houses burnt in a religious crisis in northern Nigeria's Bauchi State.

Atikur Kafur, the state police commissioner, reported the casualties and losses in Zango of the state on Monday.

The police chief said one soldier and two innocent people were among the dead, adding that 14 people were injured.

Police have arrested 20 suspected sect members including nine adults and 11 juveniles, he told reporters.

Kafur said the armed policemen drafted to curtail the violence recovered large sophisticated weapons from the sect group.

The violence erupted on Monday when the sect group known as Kala Kato went on rampage to demand the release of its arrested leader, Malam Badamasi.

Muhammed Barau, state police spokesman, told Xinhua that the crisis was contained following the deployment of more than 100 armed policemen and other security agents.

The state government has commended security agencies for promptly stopping the Bauchi crisis from deterioration.

Sanusi Muhammad, special assistant on media to the state governor, Isa Yuguda, said the government was satisfied with the handling of the situation by the agencies.

Normalcy has been restored in the crisis area, he said, adding people have been going about with their normal activities.

The government has also warned people against spreading false rumor to avoid causing a breach of the peace.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Red Cross has been evacuating residents in the crisis area to safe locations.

In July, the state witnessed a sectarian unrest in the same state, which later spread to the neighboring states of Adamawa, Kano, Bornoand and Yobe, killing 800 people.

Nigeria is a secular country with the population evenly divided between Christians and Muslims. The northern region with 19 out of the country's 36 states is predominantly Muslim, while Christians dominate the south.