Nigerian leader rows with clerics | BBC

[Ediacara]

Nigerian leader rows with clerics


Blessing Adaiyi's sister was
killed in the violence

Nigeria's leader has strongly criticised religious leaders in an area hit by communal violence.

President Olusegun Obasanjo called a Plateau State Christian leader a "total idiot" when he questioned Mr Obasanjo's commitment to ending the violence.

The massacre of hundreds of Muslims in Plateau State has led to riots in the northern city of Kano, where thousands of people have fled their homes.

Police have deployed in Nigeria's main cities to stop the clashes spreading.

Some 10,000 people have been killed in ethnic, religious and communal clashes in Nigeria since Mr Obasanjo was elected in 1999, ending a long period of military rule.

Nigeria is roughly evenly divided between Christians, mostly in the south, and Muslims, largely in the north.

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