LAGOS, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Riot in Zango area of northern Nigeria's Bauchi State has been put under control as everything is back in order, state police said on Thursday.

"Business and commercial activities have resumed fully just as more riot policemen and soldiers have been deployed to maintain peace," Mohammed Barau, the state police spokesman, told Xinhua on phone.

At least 38 people were killed and a number of houses burnt in a religious clash in northern Nigeria's Bauchi State.

He said both riot police and other security agencies deployed in the area would stay for some time to sustain the peace.

He advised people in the state to go about their normal business as security personnel are on alert to protect their lives and properties.

A competent source based in Bauchi told Xinhua that people are seen returning to their homes, while others whose houses were razed go round in company with relatives to see the damages done.

People who had taken refuge at the building of the defense industry had left for their different places of abode, he added.

The source said military personnel and policemen were seen patrolling the streets and the road blocks have been dismantled.

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

In July this year, the state witnessed another unrest, which later spread to the neighboring states of Adamawa, Kano, Bornoand and Yobe, leaving 800 people dead.

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.