Lagos - One of Nigeria's most prominent political prisoners, a former military vice-president, Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, has died, an official statement said yesterday. An official statement from the emirates council in Yar'Adua's birthplace of Katsina in northern Nigeria said the 54-year-old politician and retired major-general died in prison in the eastern town of Enugu after a brief illness.
In Dublin last night Amnesty International handed in a letter of protest to the Nigerian Embassy during a candlelight vigil for four journalists imprisoned in Nigeria. The four editors of news magazines were accused of treason by a special military tribunal and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment. Amnesty International said they have suffered serious health problems as a result of appalling conditions in prison.