SHARP RISE IN DEATH TOLL |
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Rioting in a battle-weary Nigerian town is feared to have left up to 600 Muslims and Christians dead.Religious leaders in Kano said the majority of those killed had been Christians.
The massacre follows violence in central Nigeria which led to the deaths of more than 200 Muslims. The country's President has criticised leaders of both faiths in the aftermath of the bloody clashes. Reverend Andrew Ubah, General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kano, said he had records of almost 600 killed in the rioting by Muslims. His estimate is far higher than the official death toll given by the police on Wednesday of 30 dead. Nigeria's president, Olesegun Obasanjo, has been criticised for not acting swiftly enough to counter growing religious tensions. But during a visit to the central Nigerian town of Yelwa, scene of violence, he said: "If there is anybody who wants the unity of this country, I think I should be the one."
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