Nigerian Police Battle Rioters; Oil Workers’ Strike Enters 5th Week

Police battled rioters for several hours after thugs looted shops and chased officers with machetes Monday, the start of the fifth week of an oil strike aimed at toppling the military government.

Police initially fled the rampage in Lagos’ main business district but returned with tear gas to take on the rioters. There were no figures available on injuries or arrests.

Oil workers went on strike July 4 to protest the jailing of Moshood K.O. Abiola, the apparent winner of the annulled June, 1993, presidential elections. Abiola was charged with treason after declaring himself president on the first anniversary of the ballot.

The oil strike triggered a series of labor walkouts, and the huge National Labor Congress, which represents 5 million workers, plans to join the strike Wednesday.

The Royal Dutch Shell Group, the nation’s biggest oil producer, acknowledged Monday in a letter to the government that its production is down 40% and is likely to continue to drop.

Union officials have threatened to carry out a campaign of sabotage against the oil companies unless they cease production and support the strike. Nigeria gets 90% of its foreign revenues from petroleum exports.

The 1993 election was annulled by then-ruler Gen. Ibrahim Babangida. He stepped down last August and turned over power to a civilian puppet, Ernest Shonekan, who was ousted in a November coup by Gen. Sani Abacha.

Abacha has proved to be one of Nigeria’s most ironfisted and unpopular rulers.