Evangelist's murder in Nigeria sparks riots

The murder of a Christian evangelist triggered weekend sectarian riots in the northeastern Nigerian town of Numan.

The murder of a Christian evangelist triggered weekend sectarian riots in the northeastern Nigerian town of Numan.

The riots, in which mosques and houses were torched and at least one person was killed, marked the first serious violence in Nigeria since President Olusegun Obasanjo was sworn in on May 29th after his re-election amid poll tension.

The woman evangelist was stabbed to death on Sunday by a Muslim water seller in an argument over the price of a jerry can of water, residents in the predominantly Christian town said.

Christian mobs, mostly neighbours of the evangelist, pursued the water-seller as he sought refuge in a police station.

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Blocked by police, the crowd headed for Muslim neighbourhoods, burning mosques, other buildings and cars, witnesses said.

Health officials said one man later died in hospital, where scores of wounded people had been admitted.

Riot police patrolled the town on Monday, where the central mosque and six others were burned.

Nigeria, a multi-ethnic country of more than 120 million people, has been struggling with sectarian unrest since some 12 northern states introduced Muslim sharia penal code after 15 years of military rule in 1999.

Christians, who form roughly half the population, oppose sharia and its tough sanctions such as the stoning to death of convicted adulterers.