Nigeria - Fear Of Violence Grips Kaduna Residents As News Of Yakowa's Death Is Confirmed
Following the death of Kaduna State Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa on Saturday when an helicopter crashed in the southerly oil-producing Ba...
http://www.africaeagle.com/2012/12/nigeria-fear-of-violence-grips-kaduna.html
Following the death of Kaduna State Governor Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa on Saturday when an helicopter crashed in the southerly oil-producing Bayelsa state, Kaduna residents fear for religious clashes.
Kaduna sits on the borderline between the mostly Christian south and the largely Muslim north of Africa's most populous nation and has been at the heart of religious conflict.
Hundreds of people were killed in Kaduna state in clashes between ethnic and religious groups last April after Jonathan, a Christian southerner, won a presidential vote against his Muslim northern rival Muhammadu Buhari.
Kaduna was quiet on Saturday evening but some residents said they were nervous.
"I just had to rush down to my house because this is Kaduna state and anything can happen, we can't forget the election crisis when a lot of lives and properties were lost," local resident Maxell Danjuma told reporters.
Islamist sect Boko Haram has bombed several churches in Kaduna since an uprising in 2009. The sect has killed hundreds this year in its effort to carve out an Islamic state in a country of 160 million split between Christians and Muslims.
The 36 state governors are among the most powerful politicians in Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, often controlling budgets bigger than those of many African countries.
Azazi had been a close adviser to Jonathan but was sacked in June as Nigeria struggled to stem Boko Haram's attacks, which focus on politicians, security forces and religious targets.
Several high-profile politicians had traveled to Bayelsa, Jonathan's home state, this weekend for a funeral.
Like many African countries, Nigeria has a poor air safety record.
Nigeria's deputy police chief and three other officers were killed when a helicopter crashed in the central city of Jos in March.
In June, a passenger plane crashed into a densely populated part of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub, killing 163 people.
Hundreds of people were killed in Kaduna state in clashes between ethnic and religious groups last April after Jonathan, a Christian southerner, won a presidential vote against his Muslim northern rival Muhammadu Buhari.
Kaduna was quiet on Saturday evening but some residents said they were nervous.
"I just had to rush down to my house because this is Kaduna state and anything can happen, we can't forget the election crisis when a lot of lives and properties were lost," local resident Maxell Danjuma told reporters.
Islamist sect Boko Haram has bombed several churches in Kaduna since an uprising in 2009. The sect has killed hundreds this year in its effort to carve out an Islamic state in a country of 160 million split between Christians and Muslims.
The 36 state governors are among the most powerful politicians in Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer, often controlling budgets bigger than those of many African countries.
Azazi had been a close adviser to Jonathan but was sacked in June as Nigeria struggled to stem Boko Haram's attacks, which focus on politicians, security forces and religious targets.
Several high-profile politicians had traveled to Bayelsa, Jonathan's home state, this weekend for a funeral.
Like many African countries, Nigeria has a poor air safety record.
Nigeria's deputy police chief and three other officers were killed when a helicopter crashed in the central city of Jos in March.
In June, a passenger plane crashed into a densely populated part of Lagos, Nigeria's commercial hub, killing 163 people.
