John
01-28-2011, 10:05 PM
Gunmen shot dead a leading candidate for governor and six others in northern Nigeria Friday in a suspected political assassination ahead of April elections, the state police commissioner said.
The shooting of politician Modu Fannami Gubio outside his father's home in Maiduguri by what witnesses said were gunmen on motorbikes came amid an upsurge in violence in Nigeria, including bombings and clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups.
An Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has been blamed for a series of similar recent killings in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, but police have said some of the incidents may be linked to politics.
"He was shot and killed this afternoon. Obviously it's a political assassination. It was himself and six others," Borno state police chief Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar told AFP.
Streets in Maiduguri emptied as word spread of the killings, witnesses said, with security forces searching for the gunmen.
"Streets are deserted. Everybody has moved indoors for fear of what might follow the attack," resident Hamidu Bukar said by phone.
Witnesses said that four gunmen arrived on two motorbikes as Gubio was sitting outside after greeting his father following Friday's Muslim prayers.
"He was trailed and attacked while greeting his father," Abubakar said.
Others killed included Gubio's younger brother, security aides and political associates, Abubakar said.
Residents said a brother of outgoing governor Governor Ali Modu Sheriff was among the victims, but police had not confirmed this.
Gubio was the gubernatorial candidate of Borno state's ruling All Nigerian People's Party (ANPP).
While members of Boko Haram -- which launched an uprising in 2009 and has targeted police and local leaders in recent attacks -- may emerge as suspects, there are also reports of deep divisions within the ANPP.
Local media have reported on opposition from within the party to Gubio's candidacy, which was said to be backed by Sheriff.
He was also facing a stiff challenge from the Peoples Democratic Party, which dominates Nigerian politics nationally.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has a history of violent and flawed ballots.
Gubio's killing is the most high profile so far in the run up to the April general election. A recent surge in violence, including bombings, political attacks and sectarian clashes, have left dozens dead.
President Goodluck Jonathan "unreservedly" condemned the killings in a statement saying "the era of do-or-die politics in Nigeria is over."
Jonathan has vowed to hold a credible vote as authorities seek to contain violence in several regions of the country.
Besides the Islamist attacks in the country's north, clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups have occurred in central Nigeria.
The oil-producing Niger Delta region has been relatively calm in recent months, but some observers have warned that violence could flare up there again.
Attacks by the Islamist sect in Nigeria's north have killed more than 80 people in the past seven months, security sources say.
The group also claimed responsibility for a series of Christmas Eve bomb blasts in the central city of Jos that killed dozens, but police cast doubt on the claim and blamed politics in the run up to the vote.
The ANPP is one of the few Nigerian opposition parties with a sizeable representation in parliament.
Source - Yahoo.
The shooting of politician Modu Fannami Gubio outside his father's home in Maiduguri by what witnesses said were gunmen on motorbikes came amid an upsurge in violence in Nigeria, including bombings and clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups.
An Islamist sect known as Boko Haram has been blamed for a series of similar recent killings in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state, but police have said some of the incidents may be linked to politics.
"He was shot and killed this afternoon. Obviously it's a political assassination. It was himself and six others," Borno state police chief Mohammed Jinjiri Abubakar told AFP.
Streets in Maiduguri emptied as word spread of the killings, witnesses said, with security forces searching for the gunmen.
"Streets are deserted. Everybody has moved indoors for fear of what might follow the attack," resident Hamidu Bukar said by phone.
Witnesses said that four gunmen arrived on two motorbikes as Gubio was sitting outside after greeting his father following Friday's Muslim prayers.
"He was trailed and attacked while greeting his father," Abubakar said.
Others killed included Gubio's younger brother, security aides and political associates, Abubakar said.
Residents said a brother of outgoing governor Governor Ali Modu Sheriff was among the victims, but police had not confirmed this.
Gubio was the gubernatorial candidate of Borno state's ruling All Nigerian People's Party (ANPP).
While members of Boko Haram -- which launched an uprising in 2009 and has targeted police and local leaders in recent attacks -- may emerge as suspects, there are also reports of deep divisions within the ANPP.
Local media have reported on opposition from within the party to Gubio's candidacy, which was said to be backed by Sheriff.
He was also facing a stiff challenge from the Peoples Democratic Party, which dominates Nigerian politics nationally.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has a history of violent and flawed ballots.
Gubio's killing is the most high profile so far in the run up to the April general election. A recent surge in violence, including bombings, political attacks and sectarian clashes, have left dozens dead.
President Goodluck Jonathan "unreservedly" condemned the killings in a statement saying "the era of do-or-die politics in Nigeria is over."
Jonathan has vowed to hold a credible vote as authorities seek to contain violence in several regions of the country.
Besides the Islamist attacks in the country's north, clashes between Christian and Muslim ethnic groups have occurred in central Nigeria.
The oil-producing Niger Delta region has been relatively calm in recent months, but some observers have warned that violence could flare up there again.
Attacks by the Islamist sect in Nigeria's north have killed more than 80 people in the past seven months, security sources say.
The group also claimed responsibility for a series of Christmas Eve bomb blasts in the central city of Jos that killed dozens, but police cast doubt on the claim and blamed politics in the run up to the vote.
The ANPP is one of the few Nigerian opposition parties with a sizeable representation in parliament.
Source - Yahoo.