Fresh violence hits Lagos over Abiola's death

Fresh violence hits Lagos over Abiola's death

LAGOS (Reuters): Fresh violence erupted yesterday in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, over the death in detention of opposition leader Moshood Abiola, witnesses said.

Local newspapers put the death toll in earlier rioting over Abiola's death in the city of eight million at up to 45 people.

One television cameraman said he saw a man clubbed to death on a Lagos street on Thursday and his money stolen by a mob.

Witnesses said police fired teargas to disperse mobs in Lagos as unemployed youth clashed with petty traders from the north, home region of most present and past Nigerian rulers.

"The situation is tense here, people were throwing sticks and broken bottles and there was also looting," one journalist said by telephone from Agege on the outskirt of Lagos.

A police spokesman contacted by Reuters declined to comment but said: "Our men are on the ground and I am sure they are bringing the situation under control."

Ethnicity is at the root of the Nigerian crisis, triggered by the annulment in 1993 by the military of a presidential vote Abiola, a hugely wealthy southern Moslem, was set to win.

His death was widely seen as further reducing chances of the mainly Christian south wresting power from the Moslem-dominated north.

In the capital Abuja, Nigeria's military rulers met for a second day running to discuss restoring civilian rule and freeing political prisoners.

Officials at the presidential villa said the Provisional Ruling Council of Africa's most populous nation had resumed talks which began on Wednesday under military ruler General Abdulsalam Abubakar and a statement would follow.

"What happens to the remaining political detainees and the yet-to-be-announced transition program were discussed," said the state-run radio.

"The fate of coup plotters will also be determined," said one official, referring to former Nigerian number two Lieutenant- General Oladipo Diya and several others, all from the southwest, found guilty of plotting to topple Abubakar's predecessor.

Abiola had been detained since 1994 when he declared himself president over the annulled election.

He died of an apparent heart attack while meeting a U.S. team to discuss the military government's terms for his release.

Nigeria is anxiously awaiting a post mortem by foreign pathologists due in the country on Thursday night.

Abiola's personal physician said the autopsy could begin within hours of the arrival of a team of five foreign pathologists expected late yesterday. This means that Abiola's burial in Lagos is unlikely to take place before today.

"Soon after the pathologists arrive they will meet together to decide on the format for the autopsy," Ore Falomo told Reuters in Lagos. "We expect this autopsy to take between three and four hours and soon afterwards a statement will be made."

Abiola was held under former dictator General Sani Abacha, who himself died of a sudden heart attack a month ago and was succeeded by General Abdulsalam Abubakar.

Abacha's successor, General Abubakar, pressed by Nigeria's Western friends to get the country on track to democracy, quickly freed a number of political prisoners and had been widely expected to order Abiola's release.

Abubakar on Wednesday appealed for calm following riots that have killed at least a score in Abiola's southwestern home region, but his speech gave no hint of how the army plans to restore civilian rule to the nation of 104 million.

Nor did he mention the release of any more detainees. So far only about 30 have been set free. Foreign delegations and local politicians have demanded the release of all political prisoners, variously estimated to be about 200.

South African Deputy President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Abuja for a visit South African officials said was planned long before Abiola's sudden death.

"The fact that it has not been called off shows South Africa's interest in showing solidarity with Nigeria at this critical time," one said.

Officials said Abubakar would take a break from his council meeting to meet Mbeki.