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Rioters burn king's palace in southern Nigeria
Monday March 17, 12:01 pm ET

LAGOS, March 17 (Reuters) - Rioting youths burned down the palace of a local king in southwestern Nigeria on Monday in a fresh outbreak of violence in the runup to national elections next month, police said.

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Residents said at least one woman was killed by a stray bullet when paramilitary police moved in to disperse rioters who set ablaze the palace and several other houses and cars in Sagamu, just north of Lagos.

Residents said the whereabouts of the king, Oba Michael Adeniyi Sonariwo, were not known.

Police could not immediately confirm the death or the fate of the king.

Regional police chief Adebayo Adeoye said the rioting did not appear to be directly linked to political unrest sweeping the country. But he said police were trying to stop it spreading and hurting the electoral process.

Residents said the rioting was triggered by the killing of a young man in Sagamu on Sunday by gunmen suspected to be members of a militia loyal to the king. The man's body was taken away by the attackers, raising suspicions of a ritualistic killing.

"The youths went to the palace to demand the body. They then set the palace ablaze and went on to burn cars and other houses," Adeoye told Reuters from his office in Lagos.

"We have arrested 17 men and a woman in connection with the rioting. We have reinforced the town and the situation is under control," he added.

Residents said the town was tense with paramilitary police patrolling.

They said the rioting had added to a climate of insecurity pervading much of the multi-ethnic country of more than 120 million in the runup to the polls.

Sagamu is a volatile town where inter-ethnic relations are delicate. Scores of people died in 2000 in the first outbreak of ethnic violence since 15 years of military rule ended the previous year.

The fighting set the stage for a cycle of ethnic, religious and political unrest in which well over 10,000 people have died.


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