At Least 100 Killed in Riots in Northern Nigeria

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, November 22, 2002

At Least 100 Killed in Riots in Northern Nigeria

At least 100 people have been killedin riots in Nigeria's northern city of Kaduna following violence by Moslems, local media reported on Friday.

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At least 100 people have been killedin riots in Nigeria's northern city of Kaduna following violence by Moslems, local media reported on Friday.

A Red Cross spokesman was quoted as saying that 105 people were confirmed dead but the death toll could be higher.

He said Kaduna was very tense and the security situation made it difficult to get accurate reports of casualties.

The crisis, which began around 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Thursday, saw hundreds of Moslems embarking on public demonstrations in protest against the hosting of Miss World beauty contest in Nigeria and the alleged blasphemy of Prophet Mohammed by a local newspaper.

To curb the ongoing violence, the Kaduna State government has decided to impose a 24-hour curfew "in Kaduna and environs with immediate effect."

Soldiers rolled out armored personnel carriers in Kaduna after getting shoot-on-sight order to curtail the violence. Residents woke up to find that Muslim youths had taken over parts of the city.

Police and soldiers were deployed to restore calm. Riding in pickup trucks, they fired tear gas at protesters marching through otherwise abandoned streets waving tree branches and palm fronds.

This Day newspaper had in its Nov. 16 edition published a storyon the Miss World Beauty pageant, a portion of which its Muslim readers considered blasphemous of the Holy Prophet Mohammed.

The management of the newspaper immediately retracted the offensive portion and published a comprehensive apology.

The government of President Olusegun Obasanjo appealed for calm, and warned that anyone found fomenting disorder would be decisively dealt with.

Muslim groups also complained that Miss World contest is un-Islamic and are also upset that it began during the holy month of Ramadan.

About 90 Miss World contestants have arrived in Nigeria, ahead of the final contest in the capital Abuja on Dec. 7.

Kaduna, one of Nigeria's most volatile cities, had been witnessed more than 2,000 people dead in clashes between Christians and Muslims two years ago.

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